The Titan's Curse
by the ghost king
Summary: Thalia, Artemis, Percy and the gang read Titan's Curse.This is the continuing of Shrrgnien's fic obviously with her permission.
1. Prologue: Holy Duck

**Thanks to Shrrgnien for allowing me to use the chapters he wrote.**

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**Prologue: Holy Duck**

A torrent of white-hot flame erupted inches from Thalia's nose. _"Whoa!" _she yelled, backpedalling wildly. "Diana! Tori! Watch its tail!" she called to the nearby Hunters. "Phoebe, get back! Try to get a clear shot!"

Of all the places to find a chimera, Border's bookstore would not have been Thalia's first guess, but it was here, all right. Cynthia, her second-in-command, slipped into position at Thalia's right, defending her lieutenant's flank. The two huntresses ducked as another jet of fire roared over their heads, accompanied by a howl of pain from the monster as the rest of the Hunters retaliated. Ari shot a desperate, slightly impatient glance at Thalia. "_Now can we kill it?" _she cried, swiping her short, slightly singed red hair out of her eyes.

"Fire!" Thalia agreed wholeheartedly.

There was a collective _twang,_ a veritable hailstorm of silver arrows, a loud _crash _as the chimera flailed and tipped a bookcase at a dangerous angle, and then silence. The fire-breathing monster was no more.

"Is everyone all right?" Thalia asked. Everyone was, with the exception of Phoebe, who had gotten a nasty bite that was soon put right by ambrosia.

Thalia gave a reluctant chuckle. "Well," she said, "That was fun. I mean, holy c-OW!" Cynthia had stomped on her foot. "Holy…cow!" Thalia amended hastily. Then she smirked at the other girl. "Why, Cyn, whatever did you think I was going to say?"

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Duck," she said simply.

Thalia laughed. "Really, Cyn? Who says 'holy duck?'"

That was when the bookcase fell on top of her.

Clambering out from underneath it amid the uncontrollable laughter of the Hunters, Thalia couldn't stop herself from glaring at Cynthia. "Very funny. Hilarious. Glad I could make your OW!" A blue book had fallen, corner-first, onto her head. "Oh, shut up," she muttered, picking up the book without realizing what she was doing. "Let's get out of here."

Outside, Lady Artemis was watching the Hunters with a strange mixture of concern and amusement. "Well done," she said to Thalia. "Considering that was the first hunt you led alone, you did very well indeed."

This successfully banished Thalia's irritation. "Thanks," she murmured, looking down and trying to stop the grin she could feel spreading across her face.

Suddenly Artemis frowned. "What is that?" she asked sharply, eyes locked on the object in Thalia's left hand.

Thalia looked down. "Oh, this?" she said. "I don't know, it hit me on the head."

"Read the title, Thalia."

Thalia hesitated. "I…can't."

"Try," said Artemis tersely. Thalia had no idea what was the matter, but she frowned at the book, struggling to decipher the title.

Suddenly, she looked up, meeting her goddess' eyes. She swallowed. "We need to get to Camp Half-Blood, don't we?"

When the silver chariot landed gracefully on the crest of Half-Blood Hill, it was greeted enthusiastically by the friendliest furry wall Thalia had ever seen. "Don't kill it," she said quickly to Artemis. "That's just..."

She was interrupted by frantic shouting from the base of the hill. "Mrs. O'Leary!" said a familiar voice. "No! Bad! Sit! Stay! Heel!"

"Hello, Percy," said Thalia as calmly as she could. Considering she had just gotten off a flying chariot and jumped on by an apartment-sized dog, this wasn't saying too much.

"Hey, Thal-_Mrs O'Leary, don't-" _Percy groaned and turned to Artemis. "Sorry," he said nervously. "She, uh, has a thing for sacred deer."

Artemis, thankfully, didn't seem upset at all. She patted Mrs. O'Leary distractedly on the head before handing Thalia the book that had attacked her in Border's.

"What's that?" asked Annabeth, panting slightly. She had just run up to the group.

"Ah…a book," said Thalia. "Called…_Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse_."

There was a heavy silence on the hill, broken only by Peleus' snoring.

Percy, naturally, broke it. "_What?"_ he exclaimed. "That's…"

"I would say it was impossible if I wasn't holding it," Thalia said, tense.

"But how did you get it?" asked Annabeth, ever the practical one.

"It fell out of the sky and hit me on the head." said Thalia honestly.

"I'm serious!"

"So am I! We were fighting a chimera and it knocked over a bookcase and this book fell out of the sky and hit me on the head!"

Artemis picked up her lieutenant's train of thought. "We thought that, since it obviously centers around you, you should be present when we read it. You are more than welcome to be there as well, of course," she added to Annabeth.

"So…" said Percy, "We'll read it…where? I always heard Cabin Eight was cursed…"

"There are _protective enchantments_," Artemis corrected sternly, "around my cabin, to keep the Hunters safe when they are here. This is true. Therefore, we will read it somewhere else."

"The forest?" suggested Annabeth. "We could find Juniper's tree, I'm sure Grover would love to read this as well."

"Just don't let him eat it," muttered Thalia. "We've only got the one copy."


	2. My Rescue Operation Goes Very Wrong

**Chapter 1-My Rescue Operation Goes Horribly Wrong**

Once they were settled in a loose circle beside Juniper's tree, and Rachel had been fetched from the Big House (seeing as everyone else was either dyslexic, or had a tendency to eat household objects), they began to read.

**The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly weapons and took me to a new boarding school. We picked up my friends Annabeth and Thalia on the way.**

**It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine.**

**Sleet and snow pounded the highway.**

"Yeah," said Grover thoughtfully. "Maine's not very nice that time of year."

**Annabeth, Thalia and I hadn't seen each other in months, but between the blizzard and the thought of what we were about to do, we were too nervous to talk much. Except for my mom. She talks **_**more **_**when she's nervous.**

"Understatement," muttered Percy.

"It's _your _mind," Thalia reminded him.

**By the time we finally got to Westover Hall, it was dark, and she'd told Annabeth and Thalia every embarrassing baby story there was to tell about me.**

Thalia gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like "blackmail".

Annabeth grinned evilly at her friend. "Remember the one-"

"If you finish that sentence I'll have to kill you," Percy warned her.

"I would kick your butt," Annabeth scoffed, but let it drop.

**Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."**

"Was that sarcasm?" asked Percy.

"Sadly, I doubt it," said Artemis drily.

**Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.**

"**Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" my mother asked.**

"**No thanks, Mom," I said. "I don't know how long it'll take. We'll be okay."**

"**But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."**

**I hoped I wasn't blushing.**

"You were," said Thalia and Annabeth.

**It was bad enough I had to depend on my mom to drive me to my battles.**

"**It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blonde hair was tucked into a ski cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean.**

"Aw," said Thalia teasingly. Annabeth blushed.

"**We'll keep him out of trouble."**

**My mom seemed to relax a little. She thinks Annabeth is the most level-headed demigod ever to hit eighth grade. She's sure Annabeth often keeps me from getting killed. She's right, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.**

Annabeth grinned and gave him a small hug.

"**All right, dears," my mom said. "Do you have everything you need?"**

"Well, Percy forgot his brain" said Thalia seriously. "But other than that…"

"Oh, shut up."

"**Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."**

"**Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"**

"We don't use cell phones, Mom!" exclaimed Percy.

"He's talking to inanimate objects," said Rachel in a stage whisper.

Annabeth smiled. "When they start talking back, I'll get worried."

"**Mom-"**

"**Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?"**

"**Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys."**

**She looked a little hurt, and I was sorry about that, but I was ready to be out of that car. If my mom told one more story about how cute I looked in the bathtub when I was three years old, I was going to burrow into the snow and freeze myself to death.**

Thalia heaved a dramatic sigh. "If only she'd told one more story…"

**Annabeth and Thalia followed me outside. The wind blew straight through my coat like ice daggers.**

**Once my mother's car was out of sight, Thalia said, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."**

"**She's pretty okay," I admitted.**

"I love your mom!" exclaimed Thalia and Grover together.

"Yeah, so do I," conceded Percy.

"**What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"**

At this, Rachel stopped reading in disgust. "You know, Percy," she said, "There's this thing called _tact…_"

"Just keeping reading."

"Fine."

**As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn't. Thalia was great at giving evil looks, what with the punk clothes she always wears—**

Rachel looked quizzically at Thalia, who, admittedly, was wearing a black T-shirt, but mainly dressed in the decidedly un-punk uniform of a Hunter.

"I didn't always wear silver, you know," said Thalia drily.

**-the ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry, the black eyeliner and those intense blue eyes. But the look she gave me now was a perfect evil "ten".**

Thalia gave an elaborate seated bow.

"**If that was any of your business, Percy-"**

"**We'd better get inside," Annabeth interrupted. "Grover will be waiting."**

**Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. "You're right. I wonder what he found here that made him send the distress call."**

**I stared at the dark towers of Westover Hall. "Nothing good," I guessed.**

"Gee," said Thalia sarcastically. "Thanks for narrowing that down."

**The oak doors groaned open, and the three of us stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.**

**All I could say was, "Whoa."**

**The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff. I mean, I knew Westover was a military school and all, but the decorations seemed like overkill. Literally.**

"It was creepy wasn't it?" Grover shivered.

**My hand went to my pocket, where I kept my lethal ballpoint pen, Riptide. I could already sense something wrong in this place. Something dangerous. Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, her favorite magic item. I knew we were thinking the same thing. A fight was coming.**

"Actually," said Thalia sheepishly, "I was thinking that if we survived, I could use a cheeseburger."

"What is it with you and cheeseburgers?" exclaimed Annabeth.

Thalia looked scandalized. "Cheeseburgers are the best invention since, like, the wheel!"

Percy groaned. "You had to say that to the daughter of the goddess of inventors, didn't you?"

Rachael wisely chose to keep reading.

**Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where-"**

**The door slammed shut behind us.**

"**Oo-kay," I mumbled. "Guess we'll stay awhile."**

**I could hear music echoing from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music.**

**We stashed our overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. We hadn't gone very far when I heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept us.**

**They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of backward to me. They both walked stiffly, like they had broomsticks taped to their spines.**

"**Well?" The woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"**

"**Um …" I realized I hadn't planned for this. I'd been so focused on getting to Grover and finding out what was wrong, I hadn't considered that someone might question three kids sneaking into the school at night.**

"Seriously?" Annabeth asked. "I was planning during the entire drive."

**We hadn't talked at all in the car about how we would get inside.**

"Well, that was because I knew I could manipulate the Mist, Annabeth had a plan, and Percy's an idiot," said Thalia.

**I said, "Ma'am, we're just-"**

"**Ha!" the man snapped, which made me jump. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be **_**eee-jected!"**_

**He had an accent-French maybe. He pronounced his **_**J **_**like in **_**Jacques. **_**He was tall, with a hawkish face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it really hard not to stare up his nose,**

Annabeth stared at Percy. She seemed about to say something, then thought better of it and motioned for Rachel to keep reading.

**And his eyes were two different colors—one brown, one blue—like an alley cat's.**

**I figured he was about to throw us into the snow, but then Thalia stepped forward and did something very weird.**

"Everything Thalia does is weird," muttered Percy.

**She snapped her fingers.**

"I don't see anything weird about that," said Rachel.

**The sound was sharp and loud. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt a gust of wind ripple out from her hand, across the room.**

"It wasn't your imagination," said everyone but Percy.

**It washed over all of us, making the banners rustle on the walls.**

"**Oh, but we're not visitors sir," Thalia said. "We go to school here. You remember: I'm Thalia. And this is Annabeth and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."**

**The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes.**

"That was foolish," said Artemis suddenly. "The man is clearly a monster; the Mist will not fool him. And now he knows that you are demigods."

"I know," said Thalia. "But we didn't know he was a monster."

**I didn't know what Thalia was thinking. Now we'd probably get punished for lying **_**and **_**thrown into the snow. But the man seemed to be hesitating.**

**He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"**

**Despite the danger we were in, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. A teacher named **_**Got Chalk? **_**He had to be kidding.**

**The woman blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance. "I…yes. I believe I do, sir." She frowned at us. "Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"**

**Before we could answer, I heard more footsteps, and Grover ran up, breathless. "You made it! You-"**

**He stopped when he saw the teachers. "Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk. Dr. Thorn! I, uh-"**

"**What **_**is **_**it, Mr. Underwood?" said the man. His tone made it clear that he detested Grover. "What do you mean, they made it? These students live here."**

**Grover swallowed. "Yes, sir. Of course, Dr. Thorn. I just meant…I'm so glad they made…the punch for the dance! The punch is great. And they made it!"**

"And they believed that?" said Artemis skeptically.

Thalia smiled. "You don't know Grover," she said. "Trust me, for him that makes perfect sense."

Grover opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. "The punch _was _good…" he mumbled.

**Dr. Thorn glared at us. I decided on of his eyes had to be fake. The brown one? The blue one?**

"You have the weirdest mind," said Rachel wonderingly.

**He looked like he wanted to pitch us off the castle's highest tower, but then Mrs. Gottschalk said dreamily, "yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again!"**

**We didn't wait to be told twice. We left with a lot of "Yes, Ma'ams" and "Yes, sirs" and a couple of salutes, just because it seemed like the thing to do.**

**Grover hussled us down the hall in the direction of the music. I could feel the teachers' eyes on my back, but I walked closely to Thalia and asked in a low voice, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?"**

"**You mean the Mist? Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?"**

**An uncomfortable lump formed in my throat. Chiron was our head trainer at camp, but he's never shown me anything like that. Why had he shown Thalia and not me?**

"Because I'm cooler than you, of course," said Thalia, as if that summed everything up.

Annabeth glared at her. "It's because she was living here year-round. Chiron had more time with her," she explained gently.

**Grover hurried us to the door that had GYM written on the glass. Even with my dyslexia, I could read that much.**

"**That was close," Grover said. "Thank the gods you got here."**

"Consider us thanked," said Artemis, smiling at the satyr. Grover looked like he would faint from happiness. "Though as far as I know we had nothing to do with it."

**Annabeth and Thalia both hugged Grover. I gave him a big high-five. It was good to see him after so many months. He'd gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more whiskers, but otherwise he looked like he always did when he passed for human—a red cap on his curly brown hair to hide his goat horns, baggy jeans and sneakers with fake feet to hide his furry legs and hooves.**

Juniper stuck her head out of the trunk of her tree. "I think he looks much better as a pure satyr," she said. She dropped a kiss on her boyfriend's head and faded back into the wood.

After a slightly awkward silence, Rachel resumed reading.

**He was wearing a black T-shirt that took me a few seconds to read. It said WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT. I wasn't sure if that was, like, Grover's rank or maybe just the school motto.**

"Rank," said Grover.

"**So what's the emergency?" I asked.**

**Grover took a deep breath. "I found two."**

"**Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"**

**Grover nodded. Finding one half-blood was rare enough.**

"And Grover found all four children of the Big Three!" said Juniper proudly, her head popping out again.

Artemis sighed. "Would you like to join us, Juniper?" she asked.

Juniper looked flustered. "Um…no, no, that's okay," she said. "Um…I'm meeting a Pine friend of mine for lunch…thanks though." She scampered off into the forest.

**This year, Chiron had put the satyrs on emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade through high school for possible recruits. These were desperate times. We were losing campers. We needed all the new fighters we could find. The problem was, there just weren't that many demigods out there.**

"**A brother and a sister," he said. "They're ten and twelve. I don't know their parentage, but they're strong."**

Percy jumped to his feet. "I just realized something," he said. "There should be someone else here."

Thalia's eyes widened. "Nico!" she said "Of course. But …are you sure? Do you think it's fair to ask him to read…"

Percy thought for a minute. "Yeah," he decided. "e should know the truth. He has the right to know exactly what happened."

Annabeth spoke up. "Percy's right," she said. "If it was me…I would want the choice."

Percy whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded over a smallish tree, making the ground shake on impact.

"_Woof_!" she said happily, licking Percy from head to toe. Laughing, he pushed her away and whispered into her ear. She cocked her head, then bounded toward a tree and disappeared.

"She'll find him," he explained. "Keep reading, Rachel."

"**We're running out of time, though. I need help."**

"**Monsters?"**

"**One." Grover looked nervous. "He suspects. I don't think he's positive yet, but this is the last day of term. I'm sure he won't let them leave campus without finding out. It may be our last chance. Every time I try to get close to them, he's always there, blocking me. I don't know what to do!"**

**Grover looked at Thalia desperately. I tried not to feel upset by that. Used to be, Grover looked to me for answers, but Thalia had seniority. Not just because her dad was Zeus. Thalia had more experience than any of us fending off monsters in the real world.**

"Because that ended so well," Thalia said bitterly. Artemis placed her hand over Thalia's for a moment, then removed it. It was a tiny gesture, but it comforted the girl immensely.

"**Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"**

**Grover nodded.**

"**Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"**

"**Oh," Grover said, ad looked around nervously. "You just met him. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."**

**Weird thing about military schools: the kids go absolutely nuts when there's a special event and they get to be out of uniform. I guess it's because everything's so strict the rest of the time, they feel like they've got to overcompensate or something.**

**There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and guys were kicking them in each other's faces, or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls.**

"Boys," muttered Artemis disgustedly.

**Girls moved around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face.**

"Girls," muttered Percy in a tone identical to Artemis'. His slight smirk told the goddess that this was intentional.

**Some of the older guys looked like me—uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, like at any minute they might have to fight for their lives. Of course, in my case, it was true…**

"**There they are." Grover nodded at a couple of younger kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angelo."**

"Yes?" A voice said casually from just behind Grover.

"Blah-ha-ha!" bleated Grover. Everyone else jumped in unison, with the exception of Artemis, who merely looked up calmly and indicated for Nico to sit down.

**The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face.**

Nico frowned. "Bianca?" he murmured. "What…" He looked instinctively to Artemis for an explanation. Artemis in turn waved a hand at Thalia, who, speaking quickly, gave Nico the condensed version of the events leading up to the present time. Nico nodded slowly. He looked slightly apprehensive, but asked Rachel to keep reading.

**The boy was obviously her little brother. They both had the same dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards.**

There was a round of chuckling at this, and Nico groaned. He knew he'd been obnoxious at this age, and he wasn't looking forward to re-living it.

**His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.**

**Annabeth said, "Do they…I mean, have you told them?"**

**Grover shook his head. "You know how it is. That could put them in more danger. Once they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger."**

**He looked at me, and I nodded. I've never really understood what demigods "smell" like to monsters and satyrs, but I knew your scent you killed. And the more powerful a demigod you became, the more you smelled like a monster's lunch.**

"**So let's grab them and get out of here," I said.**

"I don't think Bianca would have come with you," Nico said. "Not if she already knew something was wrong."

**I started forward, but Thalia put her hand on my shoulder. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn, had slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the Di Angelo siblings. He nodded coldly in our direction. His blue eye seemed to glow.**

"He knows," said Artemis.

**Judging from his expression, I guessed Thorn hadn't been fooled by Thalia's trick with the Mist after all. He suspected who we were. He was just waiting to see why we were here.**

"**Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."**

Artemis shook her head. "That won't work. He already knows that you're interested."

"**How?"**

"**We're three powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."**

"You could have told us something," Nico said. "Like, 'We're here to protect you' or something."

"Would that have helped?" asked Annabeth.

Nico thought about it. "No," he sighed.

"**Dancing?" Annabeth asked.**

**Thalia nodded. She cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Ugh. Who chose the Jesse McCartney?"**

**Grover looked hurt. "I did."**

"**Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"**

"**Green who?"**

Thalia shook her head. "You don't know Green Day?" she said."There is no hope."

"**Never mind. Let's dance."**

"**But I can't dance!"**

"**You can if I'm leading," Thalia said. "Come on, goat boy."**

**Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his hand and lead him onto the dance floor.**

**Annabeth smiled.**

"**What?" I asked.**

"**Nothing. It's just cool to have Thalia back."**

Thalia reached over and gave her friend a hug.

**Annabeth had grown taller than me since last summer, which I found kind of disturbing. She used to wear no jewelry except her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings shaped like owls—the symbol of her mother, Athena. She pulled off her ski cap, and her long blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, for some reason.**

"**So…" I tried to think of something to say. **_**Act natural,**_** Thalia had told us. When you're a half-blood on a dangerous mission, what the heck is natural?**

Thalia coughed.

"**Um, design any good buildings lately?"**

**Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she talked about architecture. "Oh my gods, Percy. At my new school, I get to take 3D design as an elective, and there's this cool computer program…"**

**She went on to explain how she'd designed this huge monument that she wanted to build at Ground Zero in Manhattan. She talked about structural supports and facades and stuff, and I tried to listen.**

"Gee," said Annabeth. "Thanks."

**I knew she wanted to be a super architect when she grew up—**

"Or sooner," Thalia said, grinning at Annabeth.

**She loves math and historical buildings and all that—but I hardly understood a word she was saying.**

**The truth was I was kind of disappointed to hear that she liked her new school so much. It was the first time she'd gone to school in New York. I'd been hoping to see her more often.**

"Aw," Thalia said again.

"Shut up," said Percy.

**It was a boarding school in Brooklyn, and she and Thalia were both attending, close enough to Camp Half-Blood that Chiron could help if they got in any trouble. Because it was an all-girls school,**

"Geez Thalia," said Nico, "didn't you ever do anything co-ed?"

Thalia and Artemis both gave him identical death glares, and he shut up.

**And I was going to MS-54 in Manhattan, I hardly ever saw them.**

**"Yeah, uh, cool," I said. "So you're staying there the rest of the year, huh?"**

**Her face got dark. "Well, maybe, if I don't-"**

**"Hey!" Thalia called to us. She was slow dancing with Grover,**

Thalia grimaced. "We weren't supposed to be slow dancing," she said. "He's just a slow dancer."

**Who was tripping all over himself, kicking Thalia in the shins, and looking like he wanted to die. At least his feet were fake. Unlike me, he had an excuse for being clumsy.**

**"Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."**

**I looked nervously at Annabeth, then at the groups of girls roaming the gym.**

**"Well?" Annabeth said.**

**"Um, who should I ask?"**

Rachel, Thalia and Annabeth performed classic facepalms in perfect unison.

**She punched me in the gut.**

Thalia gave Annabeth a high five.

**"**_**Me, **_**Seaweed Brain!"**

**"Oh. Oh, right."**

**So we went onto the dance floor, and I looked over to see how Thalia and Grover were doing things. I put one hand on Annabeth's hip, and she clasped my other hand like she was about to judo throw me.**

"**I'm not going to bite," she told me. "Honestly, Percy. Don't you guys have dances at your school?"**

**I didn't answer. The truth was we did. But I'd never, like, actually **_**danced**_** at one. I was usually one of the guys playing basketball in the corner.**

Annabeth shook her head wordlessly.

**We shuffled around for a few minutes. I tried to concentrate on little things, like the crepe-paper streamers and the punch bowl—anything but the fact that Annabeth was taller than me, and my hands were sweaty and probably gross,**

"I didn't notice that," said Annabeth.

**And I kept stepping on her toes.**

"I did notice that," she admitted.

"**What were you saying earlier?" I asked. "Are you having trouble at school or something?"**

**She pursed her lips.**

"Not like that, Thalia," said Annabeth, throwing a pinecone at her friend.

Thalia snickered.

"**It's not that. It's my dad."**

"**Uh-oh." I knew Annabeth had a rocky relationship with her father. "I thought it was getting better with you two. Is it your stepmom again?"**

**Annabeth sighed. "He decided to move. Just when I was getting settled in New York, he took this stupid new job researching for a World War I book. In **_**San Francisco."**_

**She said this the same way she might say **_**Fields of Punishment**_** or **_**Hades' Gym Shorts.**_

"I don't think my father _has _gym shorts," Nico said evenly. "And really, the Fields of Punishment aren't that bad once you get used to them."

Everyone, including Artemis, stared at Nico incredulously.

"Well, I mean, not if you're actually being _punished,"_ Nico amended.

"**So he wants you to move out there with him?" I asked.**

"**To the other side of the country," she said miserably. "And half-blood can't live in San Francisco. He should know that."**

"**What? Why not?"**

**Annabeth rolled her eyes. Maybe she thought I was kidding.**

"Sorry," said Annabeth. "I forget you don't know these things."

"**You know. It's right **_**there.**_**"**

"**Oh," I said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't want to sound stupid.**

"You sound stupid all the time," Thalia said. "What's the difference?"

"Thalia," said Artemis. Her voice was quiet, but firm.

"Sorry, my lady."

"**So, you'll go back to living at camp or what?"**

"**It's more serious than that, Percy. I…I probably should tell you something."**

**Suddenly she froze. "They're gone."**

"**What?"**

**I followed her gaze. The bleachers. The two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, were no longer there. The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.**

"**We have to get Thalia and Grover!" Annabeth looked around frantically. "Oh, where'd they dance off to? Come on!"**

**She ran through the crowd. I was about to follow when a mob of girls got in my way.**

"That happened a lot that night," said Percy. "I'd try to follow Annabeth and then a mob of girls would get in my way!"

Artemis turned to him, her silver eyes narrowed dangerously. "Watch yourself, boy," she said in a deadly calm voice.

Percy gulped. "Sorry."

**I maneuvered around them to avoid getting the ribbon-and-lipstick treatment, and by the time I was free, Annabeth had disappeared. I turned a full circle, looking for her or Thalia and Grover. Instead, I saw something that chilled my blood.**

**About fifty feet away, lying on the gym floor, was a floppy green cap just like the one Bianca di Angelo had been wearing. Near it were a few scattered trading cards. Then I caught a glimpse of Dr. Thorn. He was hurrying out a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering the di Angelo kids by the scruffs of their necks, like they were kittens.**

**I still couldn't see Annabeth, but I knew she'd be heading the other way, looking for Thalia and Grover.**

**I almost ran after her, and then I thought, **_**wait.**_

**I remembered what Thalia had said to me in the entry hall, looking at me all puzzled when I asked about the finger-snap trick: **_**hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?**_** I thought about the way Grover had turned to her, expecting her to save the day.**

Grover looked appalled. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Hey, I know that, G-man," Percy said quickly.

**Not that I resented Thalia. She was cool.**

"You better believe it," said Thalia, but her eyes said a quick _thank you_ to Percy.

**It wasn't her fault her dad was Zeus and she got all the attention…still, I didn't need to run after her to solve every problem. Besides, there wasn't time. The di Angelos were in danger. They might be long gone by the time I found my friends. I knew monsters. I could handle this myself.**

"Of course you could", said Thalia sarcastically.

"Thalia!" Artemis' voice was much less gentle now, and Thalia flushed and dropped her head, mumbling an apology.

**I took Riptide out of my pocket and ran after Dr. Thorn.**

**The door led into a dark hallway. I heard sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a painful grunt.**

Nico scowled. "That was Bianca," he said angrily. "He hit her when she tried to ask what was going on."

**I uncapped Riptide.**

"No," said Artemis sharply. "Do not let him know you are there! Monsters can sense celestial bronze weapons."

"Too late," said Percy. "Besides, this was years ago."

**The pen grew in my hands until I held a bronze Greek sword, about three feet long, with a leather-bound grip. The blade glowed faintly, casting a golden light on the rows of lockers.**

**I jogged down the corridor, but when I got to the other end, no one was there. I opened the door and found myself back in the main entry hall. I was completely turned around. I didn't see Dr. Thorn anywhere, but there on the other side of the room were the di Angelo kids. They stood frozen in horror, staring right at me.**

"Because Dr. Thorn was hiding in the corner looking like he wanted to eat you!" said Nico, exasperated.

**I advanced slowly, lowering the tip of my sword. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."**

**They didn't answer. Their eyes were full of fear.**

"He told us if we said anything he'd kill the other," Nico said softly. "We thought he would kill you, too."

**What was wrong with them? Where was Dr. Thorn?**

"He was standing right behind me, wasn't he?" sighed Percy. Looking back, he had been truly stupid that night.

**Maybe he'd sensed the presence of Riptide and retreated. Monsters hated celestial bronze weapons.**

"**My name's Percy," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I'm going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe."**

**Bianca's eyes widened. Her fists clenched.**

"She was fighting with herself," Nico murmured, whether to himself or Percy was unclear. "She wanted to warn you, but she didn't want me to get hurt…"

**Only too late did I realize what her look meant. She wasn't afraid of me. She was trying to warn me.**

**I whirled around and something went **_**WHIIISH!**_** Pain exploded in my shoulder. A force like a huge hand yanked me backward and slammed me into the wall.**

**I slashed with my sword, but there was nothing to hit. A cold laugh echoed through the hall.**

"**Yes, Perseus **_**Jackson,"**_** Dr. Thorn said. His accent mangled the **_**J **_**in my last name. "I know who you are."**

**I tried to free my shoulder. My coat and shirt were pinned to the wall by some kind of spike—a black dagger-like projectile about a foot long. It had grazed the skin of my shoulder as it passed through my clothes, and the cut burned. I'd felt something like this before. Poison.**

**I forced myself to concentrate. I would **_**not **_**pass out.**

**A dark silhouette now moved toward us. Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still looked human, but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his brown/blue eyes reflected the light of my sword.**

"**Thank you for coming out of the gym," he said. "I hate middle school dances."**

"I agree," said Percy.

**I tried to swing my sword again, but he was just out of reach.**

_**WHIIISH!**_** A second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't appear to move. It was as if someone invisible was standing behind him, throwing knives.**

**Next to me, Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, half an inch from her face.**

Nico clenched his fist and scowled at the book.

"**All three of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said. "Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw."**

Rachel paused, then gulped and said, a bit shakily, "Nice guy."

"Let's read the next chapter," suggested Grover, who was sitting next to Rachel. "I think this is where you come in, Lady Artemis," he said to the goddess.

Artemis smiled and held out a hand to Rachel. "Then perhaps I should read it."

Rachel handed it over and settled back against Juniper's tree.


	3. The VP Gets A Missile Launcher

**The Vice Principal Gets A Missile Launcher**

**I didn't know what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast.**

"He was a manticore," said Annabeth, Thalia, Artemis, Grover, and Nico.

Percy rolled his eyes. "I know that _now!"_

**Maybe I could defend myself if I could get my shield activated. All that it would take was a touch of my wristwatch. But defending the di Angelo kids was another matter. I need help, and there was only one way I could think to get it.**

**I closed my eyes.**

Artemis looked up sharply. "That will not help," she said. "Just because you cannot see the problem doesnot mean it is not there. How very typical of a-"

"With all due respect, Lady Artemis," Percy interrupted, "keep reading."

"**What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"**

**I opened my eyes and kept shuffling forward. "It's my shoulder," I lied, trying to sound miserable, which wasn't hard. "It burns."**

"It burns!" said Thalia, pretending to shriek in pain. "It burns! It burns!"

"Shut up," snapped Percy.

"**Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!"**

**Thorn herded us outside, and I tried to concentrate. I pictured Grover's face. I focused on my feelings of fear and danger.**

Artemis looked at Percy in disgust. "Why are you focusing on those feelings, boy? You should be trying to think around them!"

"Please keep reading, you'll see."

**Last summer, Grover had created an empathy link between us.**

Artemis stopped reading abruptly. "Ah," she said. "My apologies."

**He'd sent me visions in my dreams to let me know when he was in trouble. As far as I knew, we were still linked, but I'd never tried to contact Grover before. I didn't even know if it would work while Grover was awake.**

_**Hey, Grover! **_**I thought. **_**Thorn's kidnapping us! He's a poisonous spike-throwing maniac! Help!**_

"Did you hear that?" Percy asked Grover.

Grover blushed. "Well, I did hear you. But not that time."

**Thorn marched us into the woods. We took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashionedlamplights. My shoulder ached. The wind blowing through my ripped clothes was so cold I felt like a Percysicle.**

"**There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."**

"**What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"**

"**Silence, you insufferable girl!"**

"**Don't talk to my sister that way!" Nico said. His voice quivered, but I was surprised he had the guts to say anything at all.**

Nico looked a bit proud hearing this.

**Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, but I forced myself to keep walking and pretend I was being a good little captive. Meanwhile, I projected my thoughts like crazy—anything to get Grover's attention. **_**Grover! Apples! Tin cans! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends!**_

Percy looked at Grover. "That's when you heard me, isn't it?"

Grover blushed and nodded.

"**Halt," Thorn said.**

**The woods had opened up. We'd reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, I **_**sensed **_**the sea was down there, hundreds of feet below. I could hear the waves churning and I could smell the cold salty froth. But all I could see was mist and darkness.**

**Dr. Thorn pushed us towards the edge. I stumbled, and Bianca caught me.**

"**Thanks," I murmured.**

"**What **_**is**_** he?" She whispered. "How do we fight him?"**

Artemis smiled proudly at the girl's question.

"**I…I'm working on it."**

"**I'm scared," Nico mumbled.**

Nico coughed awkwardly.

**He was fiddling with something—a little metal toy soldier of some kind.**

"Which one was it?"Percy asked, grinning.

Nico thought for a moment. Then his eyes widened. "It was…my _Artemis _figurine."

Thalia raised her eyebrows. "That's just freaky," she said.

"**Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn said. "Face me!"**

**We turned.**

**Thorn's two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At first I thought it was a switchblade, but it was only a phone. He pressed the side button and said, "The package—it is ready to deliver."**

At this, Thalia burst out laughing. "Seriously?" she said. "'The package is ready to deliver'? How much more cliché evil villain can you get?"

Shaking her head slightly at her lieutenant's antics, Artemis resumed reading.

**There was a garbled reply, and I realized Thorn was in walkie-talkie mode. This seemed way too modern and creepy—a monster using a mobile phone.**

**I glanced behind me, wondering how far the drop was.**

**Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon. **_**Jump! **_**There is the sea. Save yourself."**

"**What did he call you?" Bianca muttered.**

"**I'll explain later," I said.**

"**You do have a plan, right?"**

Annabeth snorted. "Percy _never _has a plan."

_**Grover! **_**I thought desperately. **_**Come to me!**_

"Come to me, children of the night," said Thalia in a bad Dracula imitation.

"Seeing as you serve the moon goddess, I wouldn't talk," retorted Percy.

**Maybe I could get both the di Angelos to jump with me into the ocean. If we survived the fall, I could use the water to protect us. I'd done things like that before. If my dad was in a good mood, and listening, he might help. Maybe.**

"**I would kill you before you ever reached the water," Dr. Thorn said, as if reading my thoughts. "You do not realize who I am, do you?"**

**A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me it nicked my ear. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn—like a catapult, but more flexible…almost like a tail.**

"**Unfortunately," Thorns said. "You are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead."**

"**Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I…" Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."**

Glancing up, Artemis thought she saw a tear form in the corner of Nico's eye, but she refrained from mentioning it.

"**Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."**

"**Luke," I said. "You work for Luke."**

**Dr. Thorn mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy—a former friend who'd tried to kill me several times. "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you.**

"I'm all for general enlightenment," Annabeth said, "But that's not quite what I mean."

"**You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."**

"**The General?" I asked. Then I realized I'd said it with a French accent. "I mean…who's the General?"**

**Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."**

**I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.**

"**Where are you taking us?" Nico said.**

"**You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."**

"**They're not dolls! They're figurines!**

"That's right, Nico," sighed Thalia. "Defend Mythomagicfirst."

"**And you can take your great army and-"**

"**Now now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well…there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."**

"**The Great what?" I asked. Anything to keep him talking while I tried to figure out a plan.**

"**The Stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years.**

"Like Bessie," said Percy, smiling at the memory of the cow serpent.

"**They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known.**

"Goodie," said Rachel drily.

"**And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!**

"Did you hear that?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"All I heard was 'downfall of Olympus!'" Annabeth said.

"**Okay," Bianca whispered to me. "He's completely nuts."**

"**We have to jump off the cliff," I told her quietly. "Into the sea."**

"**Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts too."**

"Smart girl," said Annabeth.

**I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into me.**

**Looking back on it, Annabeth's move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed into the di Angelos and me, knocking us to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads. This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.**

**If you've never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened.**

Thalia pretended to blush. "Stop it, Percy," she said. "You're embarrassing me."

Artemis shot her a look, and she stopped immediately.

**She uses a huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket, but that's not the scary part. He shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called Aegis—a gift from Athena. The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it won't turn you to stone, it's so horrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it.**

**Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.**

**Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"**

**I though Dr. Thorn was a goner. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he slashed. If it hadn't been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced like a loaf of bread.**

Annabeth made a face. "Lovely imagery, Percy."

**As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.**

**The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I didn't dare look.**

**Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time I could see how he did it. He had a tail—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.**

**Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow.**

"Green grass breaks through snow…" said Thalia innocently which caused Artemis to groan, Percy, Nico and Grover to laugh, and Annabeth and Rachel to look at each other with confused expressions. Annabeth also looked distinctly annoyed. She hated not knowing things.

**Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping** **around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.**

**Dr. Thorn roared and began to change.**

Thalia smirked. "Well, turn around and give him some privacy then, Percy."

There was a round of groaning.

**He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.**

"**A manticore!" Annabeth said, now visible. Her magical New York Yankees cap had come off when she'd plowed into us.**

"**Who **_**are **_**you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is **_**that?"**_

"**A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"**

Everyone looked at Nico strangely. He reddened slightly and said, "What? It was the first thing that popped into my head!"

**I didn't know what he was talking about, but I didn't have time to worry about it. The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned towards us with a snarl.**

"**Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, I remembered my own shield. I hit my wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield. Not a moment too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they dented the metal. The beautiful shield, a gift from my brother, was badly damaged. I wasn't sure it would even stop a second volley.**

**I heard a **_**thwack**_** and a yelp, and Grover landed next to me with a thud.**

"**Yield!" the monster roared.**

"**Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, I thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the side that looked like laser-guided rockets. The helicopter had to be manned by mortals, but what was it doing here? How could mortals be working with a monster?**

Thalia shrugged**. **"Well, they were already working with politicians…"

**The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.**

"**No!" I ran out to help her. I parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest. I raised my shield over us, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.**

**Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."**

**We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. We had no chance.**

**Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.**

Artemis read the last line with a slight smile.

"Here comes the cavalry," said Thalia, grinning at her goddess.

"Yeah, Thalia," said Percy. "Because you were so grateful."

Thalia flinched and let the subject drop.

**The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind, and the chopping of the helicopter blades.**

"**No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be-"**

**His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.**

"Traditional warning shot," muttered Thalia under her breath, seemingly unable to help herself from analyzing the fight.

**He staggered backward, wailing in agony. "Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spines, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and cut them in two, but my eyes must have been playing tricks on me. No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could shoot with that much accuracy.**

Thalia gave a derogatory snort. "Please," she scoffed. "We could teach the Apollo kids a thing or two."

**The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. I tried to swipe at him with my sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He dodged my attack and slammed his tail into my shield, knocking me aside.**

**Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten.**

"Eight," Thalia corrected him. "Physically, at least."

**The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.**

"**The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.**

**Next to me, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."**

"Your gratitude is overwhelming, Thalia," said Artemis.

Her tone was teasing, but Thalia still flinched slightly. "Sorry," she muttered, shamefaced.

Artemis chuckled, shook her head affectionately, and continued reading.

**I didn't have a chance to ask what she meant.**

**One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful, with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess.**

Artemis gave a quiet laugh at this. "She did, rather, didn't she?" she said, more to herself than anyone else. "But moving on…"

"**Permission to kill, my lady?"**

**I couldn't tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.**

**The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."**

"**Not so," another girl said. This one was a little younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen.**

"Good guess, Percy!" said Thalia brightly. "You were only off by a few thousand years!"

**She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail, and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon.**

"So you do notice some things, after all!" said Annabeth approvingly.

**Her face was so beautiful it made me catch my breath,**

Cocking an eyebrow, Artemis told him, "You're too kind." Her expression was mostly unreadable, but she didn't seem angry. Gods tended to be suckers for honest compliments.

**But her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoë, permission granted."**

**The monster growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"**

**He lunged at Thalia and me, knowing we were weak and dazed. "No!" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.**

"**Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"**

**But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane.**

Annabeth, looking decidedly pale, muttered, "Not a good plan, _not _a good plan, not a good plan…"

**The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth held on for dear life.**

"**Fire!" Zoë ordered.**

"**No!" I screamed.**

**But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered back, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"**

"They usually say something along those lines," Thalia said.

**And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.**

"**Annabeth!" I yelled. I started to run after her, but our enemies weren't done with us.**

"Enemies?" said Artemis in a low, deadly tone, furious light dancing in her eyes. "Truly, Percy Jackson? After we had just saved your life?"

Percy's eyes widened. "Not you!" he said hastily. "I think I meant the mortals. In the helicopter?" He was very much hoping that this was the case.

**There was a **_**snap-snap-snap **_**from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire.**

**Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with the auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.**

"**Mortals," she announced, "Are not allowed to witness my hunt."**

**She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust—no, not dust. The black metal dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.**

**The Hunters advanced on us.**

**The one called Zoë stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with distaste.**

"**Zoë Nightshade," Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual."**

**Zoë scanned the rest of us. "Four half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."**

"**Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."**

"**Annabeth!" I yelled. "You have to let us save her!"**

"You sounded kinda crazy when you yelled that," Nico said. Percy shrugged.

**The auburn-haired girl turned toward me. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."**

**I tried to struggle to my feet, but a couple of the girls held me down.**

"**You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said.**

"Actually," said Annabeth hesitantly to Artemis, "Since he's a son of Poseidon, wouldn't being in the sea help him?"

"I would not know. I am not a son of Poseidon," the goddess responded, looking at Percy. "I was under the impression, however, that while the ocean would no doubt be beneficial at first, he would exhaust himself in attempting to find you, and I did not think it a good idea to allow him to do this, when I knew that you were no longer there."

"**Let me go!" I demanded. "Who do you think you are?"**

Annabeth groaned. "You actually _said _that?" she said incredulously.

**Zoë stepped forward as if to smack me.**

"Ah," said Artemis, smiling slightly. "That's what she did."

"What do you mean?" asked Percy. "I mean, you stopped her. You must have seen her."

Artemis shook her head, smile becoming more pronounced. "Zoë had been a dear companion for over two thousand years. If I could not predict her responses in that time…"

"**No," the other girl ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoë. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."**

"Alert the media," Thalia said to Annabeth in a stage whisper. "Percy doesn't understand something!"

**The young girl looked up at me, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."**


	4. Bianca di Angelo Makes A Choice

**Bianca di Angelo Makes a Choice**

"Yes," Nico agreed. "You are."

Rolling her eyes, Artemis handed the book back to Rachel, and the Oracle resumed reading.

**After seeing Dr. Thorn turn into a monster and plummet off the edge of a cliff with Annabeth, you'd think nothing else could shock me. But when this twelve-year-old girl told me she was the goddess Artemis, I said something real intelligent like, "Um…okay."**

**That was nothing compared to Grover. He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so…you're so…Wow!"**

Grover was now roughly the color of a ripe tomato, and everyone around him was desperately trying to contain their laughter.

"**Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"**

Artemis cocked an eyebrow at her lieutenant. "Again," she said drily, "The depth of your gratitude astonishes me."

Thalia, who now looked fairly miserable, mumbled an apology. Artemis gave a quiet chuckle and motioned for Rachel to keep reading.

**"Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out."**

**Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of us in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "Who…who are you people?"**

**Artemis' expression softened. "It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are **_**you?**_** Who are your parents?"**

**Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis.**

"I was not," grumbled Nico.

The others looked at him. No further comment was necessary.

"**Our parents are dead," Bianca said.**

"In more ways than one," said Thalia under her breath.

"**There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but…"**

**She faltered. I guess she could tell from our faces that we didn't believe her.**

"**What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."**

"**You are a half-blood," Zoë Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It sounded old-fashioned, like she was reading from a really old book.**

There were appreciative snickers around the circle.

"**One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."**

"**An Olympian…athlete?"**

"Not exactly," said Percy.

"Apparently," said Thalia, "Hades doesn't even have gym shorts."

"Thalia," sighed Artemis. "The puns."

Thalia looked distinctly unrepentant. "I think it's in my job description as your half-sister. Don't all your siblings annoy you?"

Rachel frowned and kept reading before Artemis could answer.

"**No," Zoë said. "One of the gods."**

"**Cool!" said Nico.**

"**No!" Bianca's voice wavered. "This is not cool!"**

**Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for-"**

At this point Rachel had to stop reading due to the fact that she was laughing too hard to breath. She wasn't the only one, either. Annabeth, Percy and Grover were laughing almost as hard as she was, Nico's face would put a stoplight to shame, Thalia was laughing so hard she had actually fallen over backwards, and even Artemis could not stop herself from chuckling at the memory of Nico as a young boy.

Eventually Rachel regained some control and continued.

**"Nico, shut up!" Bianca put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!"**

"I am rather inclined to disagree with that statement," said Artemis mildly.

**As anxious as I felt about Annabeth—all I wanted to do was search for her—I couldn't help feeling sorry for the di Angelos.**

Nico smiled slightly. "Why?" he said. "That was the coolest thing I'd ever heard."

**I remembered what it was like for me when I first learned I was a demigod.**

"Oh," said the son of Hades. "That's why."

**Thalia must've been feeling something similar, because the anger in her eyes subsided a little bit. "Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well…our lives are dangerous."**

"**Dangerous," Bianca said, "like the girl who fell."**

**Thalia turned away. Even Artemis looked pained.**

"**Do not despair for Annabeth," the goddess said. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I will find her."**

Annabeth looked up wonderingly. "You said that?" she asked the goddess.

Artemis inclined her head.

"**Then why won't you let us go look for her?" I asked.**

"**She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."**

**I still wanted to jump off the cliff and search for her, but I had a feeling that Artemis was right. Annabeth was gone. If she'd been down there in the sea, I thought, I'd be able to feel her presence.**

"**Oo!" Nico raised his hand. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?"**

"**He was a manticore," Artemis said. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They re-form over and over again,**

"Which doesn't make our job any easier," Thalia muttered,

**and they must be hunted whenever they reappear."**

Rachel looked up at Artemis, admiration in her eyes. "Where do you get your patience from?" she asked, gesturing at Nico.

Artemis merely smiled and motioned for her to keep reading.

"**Or they'll hunt us," Thalia said.**

Nico looked at her. "You're already finishing her sentences and you hadn't even joined the Hunters yet!"

There was a short pause before Thalia gave a surprised laugh. "I never even thought of that," she admitted.

**Bianca di Angelo shivered. "That explains…Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in D.C.?"**

"**And that bus driver," Nico said. "The one with the ram's horns. I **_**told**_** you that was real."**

"**That's why Grover has been watching you," I said. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be demigods."**

"**Grover?" Bianca stared at him. "You're a half-blood?"**

"Nah," said Thalia, grinning at Grover. "He's not cool enough."

"**Well, a satyr, actually." He kicked off his shoes and displayed his goat hooves. I thought Bianca was going to faint right there.**

"**Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia said. "You're freaking her out."**

"**Hey, my hooves are clean!"**

"They were," Grover muttered.

"**Bianca," I said, "We came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."**

"**Camp?" she asked.**

"**Camp Half-Blood," I said. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year-round if you like."**

"**Sweet, let's go!" said Nico.**

"**Wait," Bianca shook her head. "I don't-"**

"**There **_**is **_**another option," Zoë said.**

"**No, there isn't!" Thalia said.**

**Thalia and Zoë glared at each other. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I could tell there was bad history between them. For some reason, they seriously hated each other.**

"**We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced.**

"I'm guessing the last thing you needed was a repeat of Zoë and Thalia's last meeting," said Annabeth to Artemis. The goddess nodded, eyes widened slightly at the memory.

"What happened?" asked Nico.

Annabeth considered the question. "World War III," she decided.

"**Zoë, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."**

"**Yes, my lady."**

"**And Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you."**

"**What about me?" Nico asked.**

**Artemis considered the boy. "Perhaps you could show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy. I'm sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while…as a favor to me?"**

**Grover just about tripped over himself getting up. "You bet! Come on Nico!"**

"Don't you think that's just a little bit manipulative?" asked Rachel.

Artemis maintained a dignified silence.

**Nico and Grover walked off toward the woods, talking about hit points and armor ratings and a bunch of other geeky stuff. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca along the cliff. The hunters began unpacking there knapsacks and making camp.**

**Zoë gave Thalia one more evil look, then left to oversee things.**

**As soon as she was gone, Thalia stamped her foot in frustration. "The nerve of those Hunters! They think they're so…Argh!"**

"Yeah!" said Nico. "Aren't those hunters just so annoying?"

Thalia narrowed her eyes. There was an electrical crackle and Nico jumped to his feet, rubbing his singed behind.

**"I'm with you," I said. "I don't trust-"**

**"Oh, you're with me?" Thalia turned on me furiously. "What were you thinking back there in the gym Percy? You'd take on Dr. Thorn all by yourself? You **_**knew **_**he was a monster!"**

**"I-"**

**"If we'd stuck together, we could've taken him without the Hunters getting involved. Annabeth might still be here. Did you think of that?"**

**My jaw clenched. I thought of some harsh things to say, and I might have said them too, but then I looked down and saw something navy blue lying in the snow at my feet. Annabeth's New York Yankees baseball cap.**

**Thalia didn't say another word. She wiped a tear from her cheek, turned, and marched off, leaving me alone with a trampled cap in the snow.**

**The Hunters set up there camping sight in a matter of minutes. Seven large tents, all of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire. One of the girls blew a silver dog whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared out of the woods. They began circling the camp like guard dogs. The Hunters walked among them and fed them treats, completely unafraid, but I decided I would stick close to the tents. Falcons watched us from the trees, their eyes flashing in the fire light, and I got the feeling they were on guard duty, too. Even the weather seemed to bend to the goddess's will.**

"Not mine," Artemis said. "I cannot control the weather. But Lord Zeus can."

"She's dad's favorite," said Thalia teasingly.

**The air was still cold, but the wind died down and the snow stopped falling, so it was almost pleasant sitting by the fire.**

**Almost…except the pain in my shoulder and the guilt weighing me down. I couldn't believe Annabeth was gone. And as angry as I was at Thalia, I had a sinking feeling that she was right. It **_**was **_**my fault.**

"It was _not_," Annabeth said, scowling at Thalia.

**What had Annabeth wanted to tell me in the gym? **_**Something serious,**_** she'd said. Now I might never find out. I thought about how we'd danced together for half a song, and my heart felt even heavier.**

**I watched Thalia pacing at the edge of camp, walking among the wolves without fear.**

"What's there to be afraid of?" scoffed Thalia. "Those wolves wouldn't hurt a fly."

**She stopped and looked back at Westover Hall, which was now completely dark, looming on the hillside beyond the woods. I wondered what she was thinking.**

"What were you thinking?" asked Percy.

Thalia glanced at Artemis. "I'm not supposed to use that kind of language."

**Seven years ago, Thalia had been turned into a pine tree by her father, to prevent her from dying. She'd stood her ground against an army of monsters on top of Half-Blood Hill in order to give her friends Luke and Annabeth time to escape. She'd only been back as a human for a few months now, and once in a while she would stand so motionless you'd think she was still a tree.**

**Finally, one of the Hunters brought me my backpack. Grover and Nico came back from their walk, and Grover helped me fix up my wounded arm.**

**"It's green!" Nico said with delight.**

Nico groaned.

**"Hold still," Grover told me. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."**

**I winced as he dressed the wound, but the ambrosia square helped. It tasted like homemade brownie, dissolving in my mouth and sending a warm feeling through my whole body. Between that and the magic salve Grover used, my shoulder felt better within a couple of minutes.**

"Oh, that's what ambrosia tastes like," said Rachel enviously.

"Not to me," Thalia said.

"What's it taste like to you," asked Nico, "a cheeseburger? "

"No," Thalia retorted. "It tastes like marzipan, if you _must _know."

**Nico rummaged through his own bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for him, though how they'd snuck into Westover Hall unseen I didn't know. Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes. I recognized Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, Apollo with his sun chariot.**

**"Big collection," I said.**

**Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones."**

"It's a shame I burned them,"Nico sighed. "I almost had a full set. I just needed-"

"Keep reading!" Grover begged Rachel.

**"You've been playing this game a long time?"**

**"Just this year. Before that..." He knit his eyebrows.**

**"What?" I asked.**

**"I forget. That's weird."**

**He looked unsettled, but it didn't last long. "Hey, can I see that sword you were using?"**

**I showed him Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen to a sword just by uncapping it.**

**"Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?"**

Nico buried his face in his hands. He knew what was coming.

**"Um, well, I don't actually write with it."**

**"Are you really the son of Poseidon?"**

**"Well, yeah."**

"**Can you surf really well, then?"**

**I looked at Grover, you was trying hard not to laugh.**

"I was just glad it was your turn," Grover said.

"Why? What did he ask you?"

"'So you're half donkey?'" Grover said in a high-pitched voice.

"**Jeez, Nico," I said. "I've never really tried."**

**He went on asking questions. Did I fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (I didn't answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? (I tried not to strangle Nico for asking that one.) Was Annabeth my girlfriend?**

Thalia shook her head. "The kids known you for half an hour, and he can see it. But you two dance around each other for two more years."

**(At this point I was ready to stick the kid in a meat flavored snack and throw him to the wolves.)**

**I figured any second he was going to ask me how many hit points I had, and I'd lose my cool completely, but then Zoë Nightshade came up to us.**

"**Percy Jackson."**

**She had dark brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose. With a silver circlet and her proud expression, she looked so much like royalty that I had to resist the urge to sit up straight and say "Yes ma'am." She studied me distastefully, like I was a bag of dirty laundry she'd been sent to fetch.**

"Percy," said Artemis sternly. Then she gave a mischievous smile. "As if I would send Zoë to fetch dirty laundry. Really!"

"**Come with me," she said. "Lady Artemis wishes **to** speak with thee."**

**Zoë led me to the last tent, which looked no different from the others, and waved me inside. Bianca di Angelo was seated next to the auburn-haired girl, who I still had trouble thinking of as Artemis.**

**The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others I didn't recognize. I figured an animal rights activist would've had a heart attack looking at all those rare skins, but maybe since Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, she could replenish whatever she shot.**

"Not exactly," said Artemis. "But for every creature I shoot, a newborn of the same species receives my blessing. As the goddess of childbirth and protector of children, I can ensure that they will reach adulthood safely."

"Unless it's a monster," Thalia added. "In which case we don't really _want_ any more of them."

**I thought she had another animal pelt lying next to her, but then I realized it was a live animal—a deer with glittering fur and silver horns, its head resting contentedly in Artemis' lap.**

"Alphonso?" Thalia asked. Artemis chuckled and nodded.

"Alphonso is the lead deer of my team," Artemis told those in the group who weren't Hunters.

"And he's a big marshmallow," Thalia added. "He acts more like a lovesick puppy than anything else." But there was no mistaking the affection in her tone; Alphonso was a favorite among the Hunters.

"**Join us, Percy Jackson," the goddess said.**

**I sat across from her on the tent floor. The goddess studied me, which made me uncomfortable. She had such old eyes for a young girl.**

"**Are you surprised by my age?" she asked.**

"You were reading his mind, weren't you?" asked Annabeth. Percy's eyes widened as Artemis nodded.

"**Uh…a little."**

"And there you see why," said the goddess. "It was quite difficult to get a coherent answer from him."

"**I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."**

"**Go astray?" I asked.**

"**Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."**

**"Oh."**

"Is that the best response you could come up with, Seaweed Brain?" asked Annabeth.

"What was I supposed to say?" Percy countered.

**Zoë sat down at Artemis' right. She glared at me as if all the stuff Artemis had just said was my fault, like I'd invented the idea of being a guy.**

**"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said.**

"You were reading her mind too?" Percy inquired.

"You would not have wanted to be inside her mind at that time," Artemis answered. "And I make it a point to keep an empathetic link with my lieutenant at all times."

Thalia raised her eyebrows. "You never thought to mention that?"

Artemis smiled. "Subtle and non-intrusive, Thalia. I can read your basic emotions, not your thoughts."

Thalia still didn't look thrilled about this revelation, but she let the subject drop.

**"It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp…" She looked at Zoë. "Which one was it?"**

**"That boy in Colorado," Zoë said. "You turned him into a jackalope."**

**"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes. At any rate, Percy, I've asked you here so that you may tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the…mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you."**

**And so I told her.**

**When I was done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow.**

"**I feared this was the answer."**

**Zoë sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"**

"**Yes."**

Thalia gave a sigh. "What I would do to get you to give _me _a straight answer once in a while…" Her tone was teasing, but her electric blue eyes were sad. Lieutenant Thalia may have been, but she would never be Zoë, and couldn't help but feel guilty at the thought of taking her place.

"**What scent?" I asked.**

"**Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten."**

**She stared at me intently. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."**

"**Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'"**

Annabeth put up a hand for Rachel to stop. She carefully took the book from the Oracle, turned, smiling to Percy, and hit him over the head with all 312 pages as hard as she could.

"OW!"

Annabeth handed Rachel the book back, and she kept reading.

"**No, no. After that.**

"**He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."**

**Zoë's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised her hand.**

Artemis gave a quiet hiss, closing her eyes. Thalia turned to her instinctively. "…my lady?"

Artemis seemed to recover herself. "I should not have cut her off," she said evenly. "Then perhaps I would not have been surprised by Atlas."

Thalia glanced at Annabeth but said nothing. Artemis caught the look and smiled at the daughter of Athena. "Not that I regret saving you, dear girl," she reassured her.

"**Go on, Percy," the goddess said.**

"**Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot-"**

"**Stirring," Bianca corrected.**

"**Yeah. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.'"**

**The goddess was so still she could've been a statue.**

"**Maybe he was lying," I said.**

**Artemis shook her head. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."**

**Zoë looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."**

"**No, Zoë. I must do this alone."**

"**But, Artemis-"**

"**This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me."**

"Where did you go?" asked Percy.

Artemis raised an auburn eyebrow, and Thalia rolled her eyes.

"**As…as you wish, my lady."**

Thalia winced. She could barely imagine how hard those five words must have been for Zoë to say.

"**I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."**

"**You know what the monster is?" I asked.**

**Artemis gripped her bow. "Let us pray I am wrong."**

"**Can goddesses pray?" I asked, because I'd never really thought about that.**

Artemis gave a small smile. "In a manner of speaking," she told Percy.

**A flicker of a smile played across Artemis' lips. "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a small task for you."**

"**Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?"**

"**Sadly, no.**

"Too bad," said Annabeth. "I bet you would have made a cute jackalope."

"…Thanks?" Percy really didn't know how to respond to that.

"You made a cute guinea pig," Annabeth pointed out.

Artemis gave Percy a calculating look. "Lady Artemis?" he said nervously. "Um, what are you-"

Artemis smiled. There was a _pop_, and Percy disappeared. In his place was a silky black rabbit with perfect miniature antlers. The jackalope looked around, then gave a great panicked thump of his huge back foot and bolted for cover. Nico grabbed him as he tried to run past, and the Percy-lope calmed down slightly after a brief struggle.

Artemis seemed very pleased with her work. "A twelve-point buck," she said, mildly impressed. "I've not seen such a fine specimen in nearly two hundred years."

The assembled non-deities stared at the goddess in shock.

Glancing up, she noticed the horrified expression on her lieutenant's face. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Thalia," she said. "It's not permanent."

Annabeth spoke up nervously. "Ah…lady Artemis? Could you…change him back? Please?"

Artemis sighed. "I suppose…it almost seems a shame, however. He is _such _a fine jackalope…but, if you're sure…" she waved her hand. There was another _pop, _and Nico's arms were suddenly thrown around a demigod instead of a rabbit. Percy scrambled to his feet and nervously returned to his place.

"Keep reading, my dear," said Artemis to Rachel.

"Yes, ma'am!" said Rachel hastily.

**I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood They can stay there in safety until I return.**

"_**What?" **_**Zoë blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there-"**

"What happened, anyway?" asked Annabeth.

"They burned down the Aphrodite cabin and the fire…spread," answered Grover.

"They deserved it," Thalia said defensively.

"Why?" asked Percy. "I mean, what did they do?"

Thalia answered in a dark tone that effectively closed that line of questioning. "We don't talk about it."

"**Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."**

**Zoë muttered something about foolish campers.**

"You understood her?" Artemis said, surprised.

Percy jumped, looking terrified at being addressed by Artemis after his recent…incident. "Y...yes?"

Artemis seemed amused by his reaction. "That was a rather old dialect of Ancient Greek," she explained. "That you understood her is rather impressive."

"**And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis turned to Bianca. "Have you made up your mind, my girl?"**

**Bianca hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."**

"**Wait," I said. "Thinking about what?"**

"**They…they've invited me to join the Hunt."**

"**What? But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive."**

"**It is **_**not **_**the only way for a girl," Zoë said.**

**I couldn't believe I was hearing this. "Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a Pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and…I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"**

"**To begin with," Zoë said, "immortality."**

**I stared at her, then at Artemis. "She's kidding right?"**

"**Zoë rarely ever kids about anything," Artemis said.**

Everyone laughed outright at this. Artemis' face took on the same expression she had worn during this conversation; slightly exasperated, but also overwhelmingly affectionate.

"**My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal…unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."**

"**What oath?" I said.**

"**To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."**

"**Like you?"**

**The goddess nodded.**

**I tried to imagine what she was saying. Being immortal. Hanging out with only middle-school girls forever. I couldn't get my mind around it. "So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods-"**

"**Not just half-bloods," Zoë interrupted. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth."**

"Yeah, if Zoë can be a Hunter, anyone can."

"Do I need to turn you into a jackalope again, boy?" snapped Artemis.

"Sorry, ma'am."

"He has a point, though," said Annabeth thoughtfully. "I mean, when you consider her parentage."

"**All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals-"**

"**Which are you, then?"**

"Nymph," murmured Annabeth, seemingly unable to stop herself.

**Anger flashed in Zoë's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca can join if she wishes. It is her choice."**

"**Bianca, this is crazy," I said. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."**

"**Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."**

"**Hey!" I protested.**

"**You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured Bianca. "But you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."**

"**A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily. "Free of responsibility."**

"**Bianca, you can't do this," I said. "It's nuts."**

**She looked at Zoë. "Is it worth it?"**

**Zoë nodded. "It is."**

Nico snorted derisively. At Artemis' raised eyebrow, he explained, "Well, no offense, but it's kind of a different situation here, isn't it? I mean, Zoë had already lost her family. Bianca hadn't."

Artemis still looked disapproving, but her gaze was sympathetic.

"**What do I have to do?"**

"**Say this," Zoë told her. "'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis'."**

"**I…I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."**

Nico winced. He looked like he would give anything to stop his sister from saying those words.

"'**I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'"**

**Bianca repeated the lines. "That's it?"**

**Zoë nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."**

"**I accept it," Artemis said.**

**The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked no different, but she took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. "I feel…stronger."**

Thalia said, "Yeah, it's an awesome feeling."

"**Welcome, sister," Zoë said.**

"**Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."**

**I couldn't speak. I felt like a trespasser. And a complete failure.**

Thalia coughed.

**I couldn't believe I'd come all this way and suffered so much only to lose Bianca to some eternal girls' club.**

"Please don't turn me into a jackalope," muttered Percy.

"**Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis said. "You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."**

"**Great," I said, trying not to sound surly. "How are we supposed to get there?"**

**Artemis closed her eyes.**

Percy bit his tongue to stop himself frommaking a comment about how closing your eyes to a problem doesn't mean it isn't there.

"**Dawn is approaching. Zoë, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."**

Thalia blushed, remembering that ride.

**Zoë didn't look real happy about this idea, but she nodded and told Bianca to follow her. As she was leaving, Bianca paused in front of me. "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really, really do."**

**Then she was gone, and I was left alone with the twelve-year-old goddess.**

"**So," I said glumly. "We're going to get a ride from your brother, huh?"**

**Artemis' silver eyes gleamed. "Yes, boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with an annoying brother.**

"Gee," said Nico. "Thanks."

**It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo."**


	5. Thalia Torches New England

**Thalia Torches New England**

"Thalia does _what_?" asked Artemis, cocking an eyebrow.

Thalia gave a nervous laugh. "Funny story…"

**Artemis assured us that dawn was coming, but you could've fooled me. It was colder and darker and snowier than ever. Up on the hill, Westover Hall's windows were completely lightless. I wondered if the teaches had even noticed the di Angelos and Dr. Thorn were missing yet. I didn't want to be around when they did. With my luck, the only name Mrs. Gottschalk would remember was "Percy Jackson", and then I'd be the subject of a nationwide manhunt…again.**

"At least it would only be mortals after you this time," said Annabeth helpfully.

**The Hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. I stood shivering in the snow (unlike the Hunters, who didn't seem at all uncomfortable),**

"Enchanted jackets," Thalia said smugly.

**And Artemis stared into the east like she was expecting something. Bianca sat off to one side, talking with Nico. I could tell from his gloomy face that she was explaining her decision to join the Hunt. I couldn't help thinking how selfish it was of her, abandoning her brother like that.**

Nico looked torn between agreement and the urge to punch Percy in the face for judging his sister like that.

**Thalia and Grover came up and huddled around me, anxious to hear what had happened in my audience with the goddess.**

**When I told them, Grover turned pale. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well."**

**"How'd they even show up here?" I wondered. "I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."**

**"And Bianca **_**joined **_**them," Thalia said, disgusted. "It's all Zoë's fault. That stuck-up, no good-"**

"Lieutenant of Artemis who just saved your life?" supplied Annabeth.

Thalia blushed. "Yeah."

**"Who can blame her?" Grover said. "Eternity with Artemis?" He heaved a big sigh.**

Grover whimpered.

**Thalia rolled her eyes. "You satyrs. You're all in love with Artemis. Don't you get that she'll never love you back?"**

Grover rolled his eyes. "You're missing the basic _point_!" he exclaimed.

**"But she's so…into nature," Grover swooned.**

**"You're nuts," said Thalia.**

**"Nuts and berries," Grover said dreamily. "Yeah."**

Everyone looked nervously at Artemis, but she looked more amused than anything else.

**Finally the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during the winter."**

**"You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" I asked.**

**"For my brother. Yes."**

**I didn't want to be rude. I mean, I knew the legends about Apollo—or sometimes Helios—driving a big sun chariot across the sky. But I also knew that the sun was really a star about a zillion miles away. I'd gotten used to some of the Greek myths being true, but still…I didn't see how Apollo could drive the sun.**

**"It's not exactly as you think," Artemis said, like she was reading my mind.**

"Percy!" Annabeth said, exasperated. "She _is_ reading your mind!"

**"Oh, okay." I started to relax. "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a-"**

**There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth.**

**"Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."**

_**Parks?**_

"Yes, Percy," said Annabeth. "To park. You know, to bring a vehicle to a stop and keep standing at the edge of a public way. (2)To leave temporarily on a public way or in a parking lot or garage?"

Percy dropped his head into his hands. "I know what it means!"

**I averted my eyes, and saw that the other kids were doing the same. The light and warmth intensified until my winter coat felt like it was melting off of me. Then suddenly the light died.**

**I looked. And I couldn't believe it. It was **_**my**_** car.**

"Since when did you own a Maserati?" demanded Thalia.

**Well, the car I wanted, anyway. A red convertible Maserati Spyder. It was so awesome it glowed.**

Artemis sighed. "Boys."

**Then I realized it was glowing because the metal was hot. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle, which explained why I was now standing on green grass and my shoes were wet.**

**The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and for a second, I had the uneasy feeling it was Luke, my old enemy.**

"You'd better hope my brother never reads this," sighed Artemis. "It would break his overdramatic heart."

**This guy had the same kind of sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. But it wasn't Luke. This guy was taller, with no scar on his face like Luke's. His smile was brighter**

"An apt description," admitted Artemis.

**and more playful.**

"Another apt description."

**(Luke didn't do more than scowl and sneer these days.) The Maserati driver wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.**

**"Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is**

"Let's take a break!" said Thalia quickly. "This is as good a place to stop as any!"

Artemis stared at her. "We are in the middle of a sentence," she informed her lieutenant.

Thalia blushed an extraordinary shade of red and studied her feet.

**"Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot."**

"Ah," Artemis said.

Thalia tried not to meet her eyes. "I'd never met him before," she muttered.

After an extremely awkward pause, Rachel resumed reading.

**"He's the sun god," I said.**

**"That's not what I meant."**

Artemis frowned at her lieutenant. "I will talk to _you_ later."

Thalia looked terrified. "It's not like…I don't…I swear…"

Artemis couldn't fight her smile any longer. "I am_ joking_, Thalia," she reassured her.

**"Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter, he could've blinded us without the sun car. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"**

**Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your **_**little**_** sister."**

**"Hey, I was born first."**

Artemis gritted her teeth. "_That_," she said tersely, "is just a lie. I was born first. I know this, because I helped _deliver_ my brother!" She paused. "In retrospect, this was my first mistake."

**"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue-"**

**"So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"**

**Artemis gritted her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, **_**alone**_**. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."**

**"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a **_**stop everything **_**gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."**

**The Hunters all groaned. Apparently they'd met Apollo before.**

Artemis sighed. "Far too many times."

**He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.**

_**"Green grass breaks through snow.**_

_**Artemis pleads for my help.**_

_**I am so cool."**_

Annabeth coughed.

**He grinned at us, waiting for applause.**

**"That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said.**

**Apollo frowned. "Was it?"**

**"Yes. What about **_**I am so big-headed?"**_

**"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm." He started muttering to himself.**

"Did he even notice that you insulted him?" Thalia asked.

"Knowing my brother, I doubt it."

**Zoë Nightshade turned to us. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, **_**There once was a goddess from Sparta-"**_

Annabeth winced in sympathy.

"That was a horrible decade," Artemis said, looking pained at the memory.

**"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "**_**I am so awesome. **_**That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very pleased with himself. And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."**

**"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to us. "Some of Chiron's campers."**

**"No problem!" Apollo checked us out. "Let's see…Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."**

**Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."**

**"Zeus' girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time-"**

**"Brother," Artemis said. "You should get going."**

"Daphne?" Annabeth asked gently.

Artemis gave a sharp nod and motioned for Rachel to keep reading.

"**Oh, right." Then he looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. "Percy Jackson?"**

"**Yeah. I mean…yes, sir."**

**It seemed weird calling a teenager "sir", but I'd learned to be careful with immortals. They tended to get offended easily. Then they blew stuff up.**

Artemis scoffed. "Apollo couldn't care less what you called him, as long as you let him recite his poems."

**Apollo studied me, but he didn't say anything, which I found a little creepy.**

"**Well!" he said at last. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it, you miss it."**

**I looked at the Maserati, which would seat to people max. There were about twenty of us.**

"**Cool car," Nico said.**

"**Thanks, kid," Apollo said.**

"**But how will we all fit?"**

"**Oh." Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose…"**

**He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button.**_** Chirp, chirp.**_

**For a moment, the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the Maserati had been replaced by one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses like we used for school basketball games.**

Annabeth looked intrigued. "Can your chariot change forms as well?" she asked Artemis. "I mean, it only makes sense that it would, but I've never seen it in any form but the original."

Artemis inclined her head. "I prefer to keep it in its traditional form, but yes, my chariot can change forms as well."

"**Right," he said. "Everybody in."**

**Zoë ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, and Apollo said, "Here, sweetheart, let me get that."**

**Zoë recoiled. Her eyes flashed murderously.**

"**Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do **_**not**_** call them sweetheart."**

**Apollo spread his hands. "Sorry. I forgot."**

"I thought Apollo was the god of _truth_!" Nico exclaimed.

"You're not the only one." Artemis said drily.

"**Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"**

"**Hunting," Artemis said. "It's none of your business."**

"**I'll find out. I see all. Know all."**

Annabeth (being the daughter of the Goddess of Wisdom) burst out laughing.

Rachel (being the Oracle of Delphi) glared at her.

Annabeth quickly regained her composure. "Sorry."

**Artemis snorted.**

"You seem to have the same opinion," Thalia observed.

"**Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"**

"**No, no! I never mess around."**

**Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at us. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoë, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."**

**Zoë straightened. "Yes, my lady."**

**Artemis knelt and touched the ground, as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found."**

"Did you know what it was?" asked Thalia.

"Not at the time, no," said Artemis. "I was merely following a powerful monster scent."

**She sprinted towards the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.**

**Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So," he said. "Who wants to drive?"**

Artemis turned very slowly to Thalia."He didn't," she breathed. "Tell me he didn't."

"He didn't?" Thalia said hesitantly.

Artemis groaned. "Now tell me the _truth._"

Thalia sighed. "He did."

**The Hunters piled into the van. They all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible from Apollo and the rest of us highly infectious males.**

"Mainly Apollo," Thalia assured him.

**Bianca sat with them, leaving her little brother to hang in the front with us, which seemed cold to me, but Nico didn't seem to mind.**

"**This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat.**

"Gah!" said the son of Hades, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Why'd you make me do this, Percy?"

Rachel kept reading pitilessly.

"**Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"**

"**Downsizing," Apollo said. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."**

"**But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas?"**

**Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair.**

"He liked you," Artemis said to the thoroughly humiliated Nico.

Nico, thinking she was trying to raise his spirits, asked, "You think?"

Artemis answered simply, "Naturally. You were most eerily similar."

This, of course, only deepened Nico's blush.

"**That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas.**

"'Used to'?" muttered Artemis under her breath.

**Seriously kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that?**

"I'm telling Urania he said that," whispered Annabeth to Thalia.

**You want to talk about how humans **_**think**_** about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun…er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops,**

"…and I'm telling Demeter he said that," Artemis muttered, meeting Annabeth's gaze with a twinkle in her eye.

**Powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human **_**dreams**_** about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"**

**Nico shook his head. "No."**

Annabeth opened her mouth to explain it, but Nico cut her off. "I understand it now!" he exclaimed.

"**Well, then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."**

"**Can I drive?"**

"**No. Too young."**

"**Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.**

"**Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry." He looked past me and focused on Thalia.**

"And then my heart almost stopped," Thalia grumbled.

Artemis cleared her throat.

Thalia blanched. "Not what I meant!" she said quickly. "I just…you'll see."

**Daughter of Zeus!" he said. "Lord of the Sky. Perfect."**

"**Oh, no," Thalia shook her head. "No, thanks."**

"**C'mon," Apollo said. "How old are you?"**

**Thalia hesitated. "I don't know."**

**It was sad, but true. She'd been turned into a tree when she was twelve, but that had been seven years ago. So she should be nineteen, if you went by years. But she still felt like she was twelve, and if you looked at her, she seemed somewhere in between. The best Chiron could figure, she had kept aging while in tree form, but much more slowly.**

**Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."**

"**How do you know that?"**

"**Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week."**

"**That's my birthday! December twenty-second."**

"**Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"**

Thalia winced. "I'd hoped he'd forget."

**Thalia shifted her feet nervously. "Uh—"**

**I know what you're going to say," Apollo said. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."**

"**That's not what I was going to say."**

"No," said Annabeth. "She was going to say she suffers from debilitating acrophobia."

Nico cocked an eyebrow. "Meaning..?"

"She's deathly afraid of-OW!"

Thalia glared at her best friend, who was rubbing her arm. Annabeth sighed. "Sorry, Thal."

"**Don't sweat it Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid I trained.**

"Yeah," said Thalia weakly. "He was only blasted to molecules after nearly destroying the world. No biggie."

**You're Zeus' daughter. He's not going to blast **_**you**_** out of the sky."**

**Apollo laughed good-naturedly. The rest of us didn't join him.**

**Thalia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take "no" for an answer. He hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield. I had to read it backward (which, for a dyslexic, really isn't that different from reading forward). I was pretty sure it said WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.**

"**Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural!"**

"Some god of prophecy!" said an irate Thalia. There was a rumble of thunder in the distance. She grimaced, and muttered, "What? I have a point."

**I'll admit I was jealous I couldn't wait to start driving. A couple of times that fall, my mom had taken me out to Montauk when the beach road was empty, and she'd let me try out her Mazda. I mean, yeah, that was a Japanese compact, and this was the sun chariot, but how different could it be?**

Thalia blanched. "I'll tell you how different it could be," she muttered. "The sun chariot _flies._ In the _air."_

"As opposed to..?" said Nico.

"Shut up, zombie boy."

"Make me, Pinecone Face!"

"Nico, Thalia!" said Annabeth in a tone eerily similar to the one she had used on Cerberus all those years ago. Both children of the Big Three immediately shut up and leaned fearfully away from her.

Artemis sighed, looking at Thalia. "If only…" There was an unmistakably affectionate twinkle in her eye, however.

"**Speed equals heat," Apollo advised. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."**

Artemis sighed again. "Why, Thalia," she enquired drily, "DO I have the distinct impression that did not listen to the safety instructions?"

"I did listen," Thalia insisted, looking mortified.

Percy came to her rescue. "It wasn't really her fault," he told Artemis. "She can't control it."

Thalia, still embarrassed from the Apollo incident, was reluctant to say anything, but her eyes said a fervent _thank you._

**Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looked like she was going to be sick.**

"**What's wrong?" I asked her.**

"**Nothing," she said shakily. "N-nothing is wrong."**

"His head may be filled with kelp," Annabeth told Thalia, "But even he's not _that_ stupid."

"Hey!"

**She pulled back on the wheel. It tilted, and the bus lurched upwards so fast I fell back and crashed against something soft.**

"**Ow," Grover said.**

"**Sorry."**

"Smooth," snickered Nico.

"Shut up!" snapped Thalia and Percy.

"**Slower!" Apollo said.**

"**Sorry!" Thalia said. "I've got it under control!"**

**I managed to get to my feet. Looking out the window, I saw a smoking ring of trees from the clearing where we'd taken off.**

"Ah," said Artemis. "That's what the explosion was. I'd wondered."

"**Thalia," I said, "Loosen up on the accelerator."**

"**I've **_**got**_** it, Percy," she said, gritting her teeth. But she kept it floored.**

"**Loosen up," I told her.**

"**I'm loose!" Thalia said. She was so stiff she looked like she was made of plywood.**

"**We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo said. "Hang a left."**

**Thalia jerked the wheel and again threw me into Grover, who yelped.**

"**The other left," Apollo suggested.**

"Thalia," said Artemis, "Kindly remind me to never allow you to drive anything."

**I made the mistake of looking out the window again. We were at airplane height now—so high the sky was starting to look black.**

Thalia looked like she would pass out from the mere memory.

"**Ah…" Apollo said, and I got the feeling he was forcing himself to sound calm. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."**

Rachel's' eyes widened. "That was _you?_" she asked. "Cape Cod freezing over—that was on our news!"

"Yeah," said Thalia shortly. "That was me. Can we finish the chapter?"

**Thalia tilted the wheel. Her face was chalk white, her forehead beaded with sweat. Something was definitely wrong. I'd never seen her like this.**

**The bus pitched down and somebody screamed. Maybe it was me.**

Grover laughed out loud. "Yep," he said. "That was you."

Now Nico was snickering as well. "That was _you?_" he said. "I thought it was one of the girls!"

"Can we please just finish the chapter?" Thalia begged desperately.

**Now we were heading straight toward the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England coastline off to our right. And it was getting hot in the bus.**

**Apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing down the rows of seats.**

"**Take the wheel!" Grover begged him.**

"Yes, please just drive the da…rn bus," Thalia muttered, hastily changing her expletive at the look Artemis shot her.

"**No worries," Apollo said. He looked plenty worried. 'She just has to learn to—WHOA!"**

**I saw what he was seeing. Down below us was a little snow-covered New England town. At least, it used to be snow-covered. As I watched, the snow melted off the trees and the roofs and the lawns. The white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder. Little plumes of smoke, like birthday candles, were popping up all over the town. Trees and rooftops were catching fire.**

Artemis sighed again. "You were the one who caused that? I assumed it was some monster."

"Close enough," muttered Percy. His voice was low enough that Thalia didn't hear him; Artemis, however, did.

She narrowed her eyes, and suddenly in Percy's mind he saw an instant replay of himself being turned into a jackalope.

He gulped and stuttered out a mental apology.

"**Pull up!" I yelled.**

**There was a wild light in Thalia's eyes. She yanked back on the wheel, and I held on this time. As we zoomed up, I could see through the back window that the fires in the town were being snuffed out by the sudden blast of cold.**

"**There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."**

**Thalia was thundering toward the coastline of northern Long Island. There was Camp Half-Blood; the valley, the woods, the beach. I could see the dining pavilion and cabins and amphitheater.**

"It's a cool place, Thalia," said Percy, glancing nervously at Artemis to make sure this disn't cross her line. "Please don't blow it up."

"**I'm under control," Thalia muttered. "I'm under control."**

**We were only a few hundred yards away now.**

"**Brake," Apollo said.**

"**I can do this."**

"**BRAKE!"**

**Thalia slammed her foot on the brake, and the sun bus pitched forward at a forty-five-degree angle,**

Artemis shook her head slightly, amused. "This-through pure coincidence-I am sure, is around the time I received several desperate prayers from all of my Hunters. Thalia, why ever do you think that could have been?"

Thalia answered stiffly, "No idea, Lady Artemis. They were perfectly safe, after all."

**slamming into the Camp Half-Blood canoe lake with a huge **_**FLOOOOOOSH!**_** Steam billowed up, sending several frightened naiads scrambling out of the water with half-woven wicker baskets.**

**The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.**

Thalia gave an apologetic grimace.

"**Well," said Apollo with a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"**


	6. I Place An Underwater Phone Call

**I Place An Underwater Phone Call**

"I'll read," said Annabeth.

Rachel nodded and handed the book to Annabeth, while everyone else except Artemis stretched. Once everyone sat down, Annabeth began to read.

**I'd never seen Camp Half-Blood in winter before, and the snow surprised me. See, the camp has the ultimate magic climate control. Nothing gets inside the borders unless the director, Mr. D, wants it to. **

"Well if you haven't, you must have missed out a lot in life." Thalia said.

Annabeth regarded Thalia for a moment as if she wanted to say something, then shook her head and looked down again.

"**Come on. I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoe, have you met –" **

"**I know Chiron," Zoe said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."**

"**I'll show you the way," Grover offered.**

"**We know the way."**

"**Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here, if you don't" – he tripped over a canoe and came up sill taking – "like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"**

Juniper punched Grover on the arm, while he blushed blushed, his face as red as a tomato.

**Zoe rolled her eyes, but I guess she figured there was no getting rid of Grover.**

"Yeah that's right! You can …" Thalia stopped instantly once Artemis gave her a look like it was some sort of warning.

**The Hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off toward the cabins. As Bianca di Angelo was leaving, she leaned over and whispered something in her brother's ear. She looked at him for an answer, but Nico just turned away.**

"**Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after the hunters.**

"Apollo!" Artemis shouted at the sky. "You do not call my hunters sweethearts, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

Annabeth looked at Artemis who still had her fists balled up at her sides, the looked at all of us, unsure whether she should continue or not. Soon Artemis began to calm down with a little help from Thalia, and gestured for Annabeth to continue.

**Nico was still looking grumpy. I wondered what his sister had told him.**

"**Who's Chiron?" he asked. "I don't have his figurine."**

Nico blushed a shade of deep red, while we were all rolling on the floor, laughing at him, fighting the tears that almost came out. Even Artemis was trying to suppress a giggle.

"**Our activities director," I said. "He's … well, you'll see."**

"**If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. Let's go."**

"Hey!" Thalia said. "Who says we don't like Chiron?"

Annabeth took one glance at the two and continued reading, stopping the fight that would've occurred between Nico and Thalia. Man, it sure pays off to have the goddess of wisdom as your mother sometimes.

**The second thing that surprised me about camp was how empty it was. **

**I spotted Charles Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin stroking the forge outside the camp armory.**

There were some sad sighs around the circle, the mention of Beckedorf's name obviously bringing back memories of our dear old friend.

**A few kids from the Ares cabin were having a snowball fight with the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest. That was about it. Even my old rival from the Ares cabin, Clarisse, didn't seem to be around. **

"Percy, you even missed Clarisse? You must have been desperate!"

If Rachel wasn't the oracle, then I probably would have strangled her for saying that.

"Rachel. Just shut up!"

**Chiron's beard was shaggier for the winter. His curly hair had grown a little longer. He smiled when he saw us. "Percy! Thalia! Ah, and this must be-"**

"**Nico di Angelo," I said. "He and his sister are half-bloods."**

**Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."**

"**Well …"**

**His smile melted. "What's wrong? And where is Annabeth?"**

"**Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a bored voice. "Not another one lost."**

**I'd been trying not to pay attention to Mr. D, but he was kind of hard to ignore in his neon orange leopard-skin warm-up suit and his purple running shoes. (Like Mr. D had ever run a day in his immortal life.)**

Everyone cracked up including Artemis.

"I don't think I can recall a day Dionysus has ran? Hmmm …" Artemis tilted her head slightly.

"**Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."**

"**Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or Pg? 'Cause Bianca is kinda strict –"**

"**It's PG-13," Grover said."**

"Really Nico? Really? I wonder how your sister used to deal with you."

"Do. Not. Talk. About. My. Sister. That. Way." Nico's eyes grew dangerously dark. He was gripping his Stygian iron sword tightly, almost as if debating whether or not to slice Rachel to bits.

"Yes, I agree. You do not talk about a fine huntress that way." Artemis added in.

"Haha moving on." Annabeth said, trying to lighten the mood.

"**Now, Chiron said to Thalia and me, "perhaps you two should sit down and tell us the whole story." **

**When we were done, Chiron turned to Mr. D. "We should launch a search for Annabeth immediately."**

"**I'll go," Thalia and I said at the same time.**

**Mr. D sniffed. "Certainly not!"**

"**From what you have told me," Mr. D said, "we have broken even on this escapade. We have, ah, regrettably lost Annie Bell –"**

"**Annabeth," I snapped. She'd gone to camp since she was seven, and still Mr. D pretended not to know her name.**

"Percy, you actually said that to Mr. D? I'm surprised you're still alive!" Annabeth shook her head at me. "You're such a seaweed brain!"

"**Yes, yes," he said. "And you procured a small annoying boy to replace her. So I see no point risking further half bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead."**

**I wanted to strangle Mr. D. **

"I still can't believe why it took you two so long to get together." Juniper said. "I mean look, he so clearly had a crush on you since he was 12 years old Annabeth!"

"**Annabeth may be alive," Chiron said, but I could tell he was having trouble sounding upbeat."**

"Of course Chiron would." Annabeth said. "He was like a father to me, even now."

"**She's very bright. If … if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."**

"**That's right," Thalia said. "Luke would want her alive."**

"**In which case," said Mr. D, "I'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own."**

"I have a feeling that this is the part where Percy does something stupid." Rachel said.

"Hey!"

"**I got up from the table.**

"**Percy." Chiron's tone was full of warning. **

"**You're glad to lose another camper," I said. "You'd like it if we all disappeared!"**

**Mr. D stifled a yawn. "You have a point?"**

"**Yeah," I growled. "Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization, too. Maybe you could try helping a little!"**

"See? I was right." Rachel said smugly.

Annabeth and the rest of the people just face palmed, while Artemis looked at me like I was crazy.

**For a second, there was no sound except the crackle of the fire. The light reflected in Mr. D's eyes, giving him a sinister look. He opened his mouth to say something – a curse that would blast me to smithereens – when Nico burst into the room, followed by Grover.**

"Wow Percy. Lovely. Blast me to smithereens? How original can you get?" Rachel said, trying desperately to stop laughing.

I wanted to punch her right then and there, but Apollo would kill me.

"**SO COOL!" Nico yelled, holding his hands out to Chiron. "You're … you're a centaur!"**

"**And, whoa!" He looked at Mr. D. "You're the wine dude? No way!"**

**Mr. D turned his eyes away from me and gave Nico a look of loathing. "The wine dude?"**

"**Dionysus, right. Oh, wow! I've got your figurine." **

"**My figurine."**

"Well of course he does," Grover chimed in. "He has figurines of all the gods! Oh Nico by the way, I still don't understand the game, even after you've explained it to me like a billion times."

"Grover, please just shut up before I summon a bunch of skeleton warriors."

Grover whimpered.

"**In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!"**

"Oh trust me Nico, Mr. D definitely has more than five hundred attack points." Thalia said.

"Well I know that."

"**Ah." Mr. D seemed truly perplexed, which probably saved my life. "Well, that's … gratifying."**

"Probably Percy? I think I did save your life back there."

"Yes, thanks Nico."

"**Percy," Chiron said quickly, "you and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."**

"**Capture the flag?" I asked. "But we don't have enough-"**

**It is a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."**

"**Yeah," Thalia muttered. "I bet it's real friendly."**

"Thalia," Artemis said. "I'm glad you appreciate the hunters so much."

"Sorry my lady."

Artemis just chuckled, her eyes twinkling with affection for Thalia and her other hunters.

**Chiron jerked his head toward Mr. D, who was still frowning as Nico talked about how many defense points the gods had in his game. "Run along now," Chiron told us.**

"**Oh, right," Thalia said. "Come on Percy"**

**She hauled me out of the Big House before Dionysus could remember that he wanted to kill me.**

"**You've already got Ares on your bad side," Thalia reminded me as we trudged towards the cabins. "You need another immortal enemy?"**

"Seaweed brain, it's not wise to have the gods as your enemies. The gods of war is bad enough."

"**Sorry," I said. "I couldn't help it. It's just so unfair."**

"**Percy, everything is unfair," Thalia muttered. "Sometimes I wish …"**

**She didn't finish, but her tone was so sad I felt sorry for her. **

"**We'll get Annabeth back," I promised. "I just don't know how yet."**

"**First I found out that Luke is lost," she said. "Now Annabeth-"**

Thalia sighed. "Luke."

Artemis looked at her lieutenant with a pained glance but still remained silent.

"**You're right. She straightened up. "We'll find a way."**

"**You circulate around the cabins. Tell everybody about capture the flag tomorrow."**

"**Hey, Thalia."**

"**Yeah?"**

"**I'm sorry about what happened at Westover. I should've waited for you guys."**

"**S okay, Percy. I probably would've done the same thing." She shifted from foot to foot, like she was trying to decide whether or not to say more." You know, you asked about my mom and I kinda snapped at you. It's just … I ****went back to find her after seven years, and I found out she died in Los Angeles. She, um… she was a heavy drinker, and apparently she was out driving late one night about two years ago, and…" Thalia blinked hard.**

"**I'm sorry."**

"Thalia, I shouldn't have asked. I'm still really sorry."

"It's ok Percy. Continue please."

"**Yeah, well. It's … it's not like we were ever close. I ran away when I was ten. Best two years of my life were when I was running around with Luke and Annabeth. But still –"**

Annabeth gave Thalia a sad smile, and rubbed her back.

**I was sorry I'd said anything. Thalia's expression was dangerously close to Zeus's, the one time I'd seen him get angry – like any minute, her eyes would shoot a million volts. **

"Percy, my eyes can't shoot a million volts."

**I made the rounds, telling everybody about capture the flag. I woke up some Ares kid from his midday nap and he yelled at me to go away. When I asked him where Clarisse was he said, "Went on a quest for Chiron. Top secret!"**

"Yeah, top secret."

Annabeth just shook her head at me and continued reading.

**Finally I got to Cabin Three, the cabin of Poseidon. It was a low gray building hewn from sea stone, with shells and coral fossils imprinted in the rock. Inside, it was just as empty as always, except for my bunk. A Minotaur horn hung on the wall next to my pillow.**

**I took Annabeth's baseball cap out of my backpack and set it on my nightstand. I'd give it to her when I found her. And I **_**would**_ **find her.**

"Again, your faith and determination is impressive." Artemis said.

I stared at her in shock. The male hater just complimented me.

"Thanks," I mumbled, still dazed.

**I noticed a strange sound—water gurgling—and I realized there was something new in the room. At the back of the cabin was a big basin of gray sea rock, with a spout like the head of a fish carved in stone. Out of its mouth burst a stream of water, a saltwater spring that trickled into the pool. The water must've been hot, because it sent mist into the cold winter air like a sauna. It made the room feel warm and summery, fresh with the smell of the sea.**

**I stepped up to the pool. There was no note attached or anything, but I knew it could only be a gift from Poseidon.**

**I looked into the water and said, "Thanks, Dad."**

"I'm glad your mom taught you well Percy," Annabeth said. "If you didn't thank a god for giving you something, even a few words of advice, let's just say you would not be living a good life"

**The surface rippled. At the bottom of the pool, coins shimmered—a dozen or so golden drachma. I realized what the fountain was for. It was a reminder to keep in touch with my family.**

**I opened the nearest window, and the wintry sunlight made a rainbow in the mist. Then I fished a coin out of the hot water.**

**"Iris, O Goddess of the Rainbow," I said, "accept my offering."**

**I tossed a coin into the mist and it disappeared. Then I realized I didn't know who to contact first.**

"Think before you act seaweed brain! Haven't you heard that saying before?" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

**My mom? That would've been the "good son" thing to do, but she wouldn't be worried about me yet. She was used to me disappearing for days or weeks at a time.**

"Trust me Percy, she was worried." Rachel said.

For once I didn't want to punch her.

"At least you had someone to worry about you Percy." Nico said glumly.

**My father? It had been way too long, almost two years, since I'd actually talked to him. But could you even send an Iris-message to a god? I'd never tried. Would it make them mad, like a sales call or something?**

**I hesitated. Then I made up my mind.**

**"Show me Tyson," I requested. "At the forges of the Cyclopes."**

"T … Ty … Tyson?" Grover said.

Sometimes I just felt sorry for him. He was scared of the Cyclopes', especially after what happened at the sea of monsters.

**"Tyson!" I yelled.**

**He didn't hear me at first because of the hammering and the roar of the flames.**

**"TYSON!"**

**He turned, and his one enormous eye widened. His face broke into a crooked yellow grin. "Percy!"**

**He dropped the sword blade and ran at me, trying to give me a hug.**

Everyone laughed.

"I love that guy." Nico said.

**"How are you?" I asked. "How's the job?"**

**His eye lit up. "Love the job! Look!" He picked up the hot sword blade with his bare hands. "I made this!"**

**"That's really cool."**

**"I wrote my name on it. Right there."**

**"Awesome. Listen, do you talk to Dad much?"**

**Tyson's smile faded. "Not much. Daddy is busy. He is worried about the war."**

**"What do you mean?"**

**Tyson sighed. He stuck the sword blade out the window, where it made a cloud of boiling bubbles. When Tyson brought it back in, the metal was cool. "Old sea spirits making trouble. Aigaios. Oceanus. Those guys."**

"They're always around aren't they?" Annabeth said.

**I sort of knew what he was talking about. He meant the immortals who ruled the oceans back in the days of the Titans. Before the Olympians took over. The fact that they were back now, with the Titan Lord Kronos and his allies gaining strength, was not good.**

**"Is there anything I can do?" I asked.**

**Tyson shook his head sadly. **

"I really wish I could help."

"Percy, you can't couldn't." Annabeth said. "Your father's enemies would split you into pieces."

**"Old spirits are protecting the bad boat."**

**"The **_**Princess Andromeda**_**?" I said. "Luke's boat?"**

"Why did he call it the _Princess Andromeda_?" Nico asked.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

**"Yes. They make it hard to find. Protect it from Daddy's storms. Otherwise he would smash it."**

**"Smashing it would be good."**

**Tyson perked up, as if he'd just had another thought. "Annabeth! Is she there?"**

**"Oh, well…" My heart felt like a bowling ball. Tyson thought Annabeth was just about the coolest thing since peanut butter (and he seriously loved peanut butter).**

Annabeth smiled.

**"Well, no… she's not here right now."**

**"Tell her hello!" He beamed. "Hello to Annabeth!"**

**"Okay." I fought back a lump in my throat. "I'll do that."**

"Percy, you never told me Tyson said hi."

"Sorry."

**In the forges, a deep voice bellowed something I couldn't make out. Tyson flinched. "Got to get back to work! Boss will get mad. Good luck, Brother!"**

**"Okay, tell Dad—"**

**But before I could finish, the vision shimmered and faded. I was alone again in my cabin, feeling even lonelier than before.**

**I was pretty miserable at dinner that night.**

**I mean, the food was excellent as usual. You can't go wrong with barbecue, pizza, and never-empty soda goblets. The torches and braziers kept the outdoor pavilion warm, but we all had to sit with our cabin mates, which meant I was alone at the Poseidon table.**

"I know how that feels." Nico said.

**The only table that really seemed to be having a good time was the Artemis table. The Hunters drank and ate and laughed like one big happy family.**

"Well we do treat each other like we are a family." Thalia said.

Artemis nodded in approval.

**When we'd finished eating, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was pretty halfhearted. Then he announced the "good will" capture-the-flag game for tomorrow night, which got a lot better reception.**

"We seriously need to beat the hunters at capture the flag." I said.

Everyone nodded except Artemis and Thalia, who had a smile on her face.

"We'll beat you again tomorrow night."

**Afterward, we all trailed back to our cabins for an early, winter lights out. I was exhausted, which meant I fell asleep easily. That was the good part. The bad part was, I had a nightmare, and even by my standards it was a whopper.**

**Annabeth was on a dark hillside, shrouded in fog.**

**It almost seemed like the Underworld, because I immediately felt claustrophobic and I couldn't see the sky above—just a close, heavy darkness, as if I were in a cave.**

**Annabeth struggled up the hill. Old broken Greek columns of black marble were scattered around, as though something had blasted a huge building to rums.**

Annabeth sighed, recalling the memories of the Titan's palace.

**"Thorn!" Annabeth cried. "Where are you? Why did you bring me here?" She scrambled over a section of broken wall and came to the crest of the hill.**

**She gasped.**

**There was Luke. And he was in pain.**

**He was crumpled on the rocky ground, trying to rise. The blackness seemed to be thicker around him, fog swirling hungrily. His clothes were in tatters and his face was scratched and drenched with sweat,**

**"Annabeth!" he called. "Help me! Please!"**

**She ran forward.**

**I tried to cry out: **_**He's a traitor! Don't trust him**_**!**

**But my voice didn't work in the dream.**

**Annabeth had tears in her eyes. She reached down like she wanted to touch Luke's face, but at the last second she hesitated.**

"No …" I said.

**"What happened?" she asked.**

**"They left me here," Luke groaned. "Please. It's killing me."**

**I couldn't see what was wrong with him. He seemed to be struggling against some invisible curse, as though the fog were squeezing him to death.**

**"Why should I trust you?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was filled with hurt.**

**"You shouldn't," Luke said. "I've been terrible to you. But if you don't help me, I'll die."**

Annabeth shifted uncomfortably, touching the grey streak of hair.

_**Let him die**_**, I wanted to scream. Luke had tried to kill us in cold blood too many times. He didn't deserve anything from Annabeth.**

"Thanks Percy."

**Then the darkness above Luke began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake. Huge chunks of black rock began falling. Annabeth rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the whole ceiling dropped. She held it somehow—tons of rock. She kept it from collapsing on her and Luke just with her own strength. It was impossible. She shouldn't have been able to do that.**

**Luke rolled free, gasping. "Thanks," he managed.**

**"Help me hold it," Annabeth groaned.**

**Luke caught his breath. His face was covered in grime and sweat. He rose unsteadily.**

**"I knew I could count on you." He began to walk away as the trembling blackness threatened to crush Annabeth.**

"That bastard!" I yelled in rage.

**"HELP ME!" she pleaded,**

**"Oh, don't worry," Luke said. "Your help is on the way. It's all part of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die."**

**The ceiling of darkness began to crumble again, pushing Annabeth against the ground.**

**I sat bolt upright in bed, clawing at the sheets. There was no sound in my cabin except the gurgle of the saltwater spring. The clock on my nightstand read just after midnight.**

**Only a dream, but I was sure of two things: Annabeth was in terrible danger. And Luke was responsible****.**

"That's the end of the chapter," Annabeth said. "Who wants to read?"

Thalia raised her hand.


	7. An Old Dead Friend Comes To Visit

**An Old Dead Friend Comes To Visit**

"An old dead friend comes to visit." Thalia read aloud. "Hmmm … sounds interesting."

**The next morning after breakfast, I told Grover about my dream. We sat in the meadow watching the satyrs chase the wood nymphs through the snow. The nymphs had promised to kiss the satyrs if they got caught, but they hardly ever did. Usually the nymph would let the satyr get up a full head of steam, then she'd turn into a snow-covered tree and the poor satyr would slam into it headfirst and get a pile of snow dumped on him.**

"Yeah a real fun game." Juniper said sarcastically. "The satyrs need to stop hitting on us wood nymphs, we hate it when they do that."

**When I told Grover my nightmare, he started twirling his finger in his shaggy leg fur.**

**"A cave ceiling collapsed on her?" he asked.**

**"Yeah. What the heck does that mean?"**

**Grover shook his head. "I don't know. But after what Zoe dreamed—"**

**"Whoa. What do you mean? Zoe had a dream like that?"**

**"I… I don't know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked."**

"Zoe." Artemis breathed.

Thalia's electric blue eyes turned a misty mix of dark blue. She looked over at Artemis, her face pained.

**"Wait, how do you know this?"**

**Grover blushed. "I was sort of camped outside the Artemis cabin."**

"Grover!" Juniper slapped his arm, while the other girls had looks of disgust on their faces particularly Artemis and Thalia, who shook their heads in disapproval.

**"What for?"**

**"Just to be, you know, near them."**

**"You're a stalker with hooves."**

"So true." Rachel said, while the others murmured their agreement.

**"I am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn't let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene."**

"Of course it would be. You have no idea." Thalia said.

**I tried to imagine that. Argus was the head of security for camp—a big blond dude with eyes all over his body. He rarely showed himself unless something serious was going on. I wouldn't want to place bets on a fight between him and Zoe Nightshade.**

"It would have been interesting to see. I would side with Argus though, I mean he does have like 100 eyes." Rachel said.

That idiot! Rachel and her big mouth!

Thalia gave her a glare, her eyes changing color to a brighter shade of blue. The sound of thunder echoed throughout the camp. I shuddered slightly, in fear of what Thalia would do. Artemis touched Thalia's shoulder lightly, holding her back from ripping the oracle to shreds. Thalia closed her eyes and took deep breaths, counting from 1 to 10, and then opened her eyes again to continue reading.

**"What did she say?" I asked.**

**Grover grimaced. "Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset, so it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout… I think that's a bad thing. And then he called her—"**

"Yes, Zoe does tend to talk in an old-fashioned way when she's mad." Artemis said.

Grover nodded quickly, unsure of what to say afraid that he would anger the goddess.

**"Whoa, wait. How could Artemis be in trouble?"**

**"I… well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horse tail in curlers and—"**

**"He wears curlers in his tail?"**

Everyone laughed.

"I should totally shadow travel to his room at night and take pictures."

"Good idea Nico, and I bet you could make a fortune, selling them to the Stolls."

**Grover covered his mouth.**

**"Sorry," I said. "Go on."**

**"Well, Zoe said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoe that the Hunters were supposed to stay here until they received orders from Artemis. And she said…" Grover gulped. "She said 'How are we to get orders from Artemis if Artemis is lost?'"**

"I know exactly how she feels," Thalia muttered under her breath.

Artemis smiled at Thalia, reassuringly.

**"What do you mean lost? Like she needs directions?"**

Ugh I groaned. Everyone else snickered. Annabeth rolled her eyes, while Artemis looked slightly amused.

"Percy, I am the goddess of the hunt. I don't need directions."

**"No. I think she meant gone. Taken. Kidnapped."**

**"**_**Kidnapped**_**?" I tried to get my mind around that idea. "How would you kidnap an immortal goddess? Is that even possible?"**

**"Well, yeah. I mean, it happened to Persephone."**

**"But she was like, the goddess of **_**flowers**_**."**

Grover scowled. 

"My dad and Persephone will not be pleased if they read this book Percy," Nico said.

**Grover looked offended. "Springtime."**

**"Whatever. Artemis is a lot more powerful than that. Who could kidnap her? And why?"**

**Grover shook his head miserably. "I don't know. Kronos?"**

**"He can't be that powerful already. Can he?"**

"Yes he can," Annabeth said, allowing that statement to send chills down our spines.

**The last time we'd seen Kronos, he'd been in tiny pieces. Well… we hadn't actually **_**seen**_** him. Thousands of years ago, after the big Titan—God war, the gods had sliced him to bits with his own scythe and scattered his remains in Tartarus, which is like the gods' bottomless recycling bin for their enemies.**

"I wouldn't say it was a recycling bin, but I do agree with the bottomless part," Artemis said.

**Kronos could influence people with dreams and trick them, but I didn't see how he could physically overcome Artemis if he was still like a pile of evil bark mulch.**

**"I don't know," Grover said. "I think somebody would know if Kronos had re-formed. The gods would be more nervous. But still, it's weird, you having a nightmare the same night as Zoe. It's almost like—"**

**"They're connected," I said.**

"Alert the media!" Thalia practically shouted out. "Percy actually caught on!"

I glared at Thalia, who stuck her tongue out at me. Artemis took one glance at her lieutenant and chuckled slightly.

**I thought about Zoe's nightmare, which she'd had only a few hours after mine.**

**"I've got to talk to Zoe," I said.**

"I don't think that would go very well, I mean that's literally suicide seaweed brain!"

**"Um, before you do…" Grover took something out of his coat pocket. It was a three-fold display like a travel brochure. "You remember what you said—about how it was weird the Hunters just happened to show up at Westover Hall? I think they might've been scouting us."**

**"Scouting us? What do you mean?"**

**He gave me the brochure. It was about the Hunters of Artemis. The front read, A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE! Inside were pictures of young maidens doing hunter stuff, chasing monsters, shooting bows. There were captions like: HEALTH BENEFITS: IMMORTALITY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU! and A BOY-FREE TOMORROW!**

Nico scoffed. "Yeah totally."

Artemis and Thalia remained silent, knowing how sensitive Nico was with anything to do with the hunters.

**"I found that in Annabeth's backpack," Grover said.**

**I stared at him. "I don't understand."**

**"Well, it seems to me… maybe Annabeth was thinking about joining."**

**I'd like to say I took the news well.**

Annabeth smiled at me.

**The truth was, I wanted to strangle the Hunters of Artemis one eternal maiden at a time. **

"Thanks a lot Percy," Thalia said. "But I'm glad you didn't try because the hunters would kick your butt so bad."

**The rest of the day I tried to keep busy, but I was worried sick about Annabeth. **

**That night after dinner, I was seriously ready to beat the Hunters at capture the flag. It was going to be a small game: only thirteen Hunters, including Bianca di Angelo, and about the same number of campers.**

**Zoe Nightshade looked pretty upset. She kept glancing resentfully at Chiron, like she couldn't believe he was making her do this.**

**The other Hunters didn't look too happy, either. Unlike last night, they weren't laughing or joking around. They just huddled together in the dining pavilion, whispering nervously to each other as they strapped on their armor. Some of them even looked like they'd been crying. I guess Zoe had told them about her nightmare.**

"We're sisters," Thalia said. "We don't keep anything away from each other unless requested to by the orders of Lady Artemis."

**On our team, we had Beckendorf and two other Hephaestus guys, a few from the Ares cabin (though it still seemed strange that Clarisse wasn't around), the Stoll brothers and Nico from Hermes cabin, and a few Aphrodite kids. It was weird that the Aphrodite cabin wanted to play. Usually they sat on the sidelines, chatted, and checked their reflections in the river and stuff, but when they heard we were fighting the Hunters, they were raring to go.**

"Of course they would." Annabeth said. "They will only put on their battle gear if it's against the hunters of Artemis."

**"I'll show them 'love is worthless,'" Silena Beauregard grumbled as she strapped on her armor. "I'll pulverize them!"**

"Ah, just like her mother." Artemis said.

Everyone bowed their heads, hearing the names of our fellow campers who were among the many who died during the Second Titan War. There was no mentioning of Silena being a traitor, just a silent moment for all of us to grieve.

**That left Thalia and me.**

**"I'll take the offense," Thalia volunteered. "You take defense."**

**"Oh." I hesitated, because I'd been about to say the exact same thing, only reversed.**

"Oh this is not going to be good." Rachel and Annabeth said at the same time.

"How would you know that?" I asked both of them.

"I'm the oracle. I see and know all."

Both Artemis and Thalia groaned, obviously they had heard that line far too many times.

Annabeth shrugged. "Daughter of the wisdom goddess."

That I had to agree on, I mean what do you expect from a child of Athena?

**"Don't you think with your shield and all, you'd be better defense?"**

**Thalia already had Aegis on her arm, and even our own teammates were giving her a wide berth, trying not to cower before the bronze head of Medusa.**

**"Well, I was thinking it would make better offense," Thalia said. "Besides, you've had more practice at defense."**

**I wasn't sure if she was teasing me. I'd had some pretty bad experiences with defense on capture the flag.**

"She was seaweed brain." Annabeth whispered to me.

I growled and Thalia just laughed.

**My first year, Annabeth had put me out as a kind of bait, and I'd almost been gored to death with spears and killed by a hellhound.**

**"Yeah, no problem," I lied.**

**"Cool." Thalia turned to help some of the Aphrodite kids, who were having trouble suiting up their armor without breaking their nails.**

"Oh their mother would be so proud." Artemis said sarcastically.

**Nico di Angelo ran up to me with a big grin on his face.**

**"Percy, this is awesome!"**

**His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling in his eyes, and his breastplate was about six sizes too big. **

Nico groaned.

**I wondered if there was any way I'd looked that ridiculous when I'd first arrived.**

**Unfortunately, I probably had.**

**Nico lifted his sword with effort. "Do we get to kill the other team?"**

**"Well… no."**

**"But the Hunters are immortal, right?"**

**"That's only if they don't fall in battle. Besides—"**

**"It would be awesome if we just, like, resurrected as soon as we were killed, so we could keep fighting, and—"**

I should have figured out he was a son of Hades right then and there, but no, I had to be a seaweed brain as Annabeth would put it.

**"Nico, this is serious. Real swords. These can hurt."**

**He stared at me, a little disappointed, and I realized that I'd just sounded like my mother. Whoa. Not a good sign.**

"Aw momma Percy!" Thalia said, trying to fight a fit of laughter.

Annabeth laughed along with her. I swear these two girls could be so evil.

**I patted Nico on the shoulder. "Hey, it's cool. Just follow the team. Stay out of Zoe's way. We'll have a blast."**

"Yeah definitely stay out of Zoe's way."

Thalia ignored Rachel and continued to read.

**Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.**

**"Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team—Camp Half-Blood—shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis—red team—shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"**

"I should have used Annabeth's invisibility cap, then we could have beaten them!"

"Ugh Percy, why didn't you think of it then?"

"I don't know. Besides I didn't want to use it without her permission. Who knows what Athena would do once she finds out that I used her daughter's gift?"

**We set our flag at the top of Zeus's Fist. It's this cluster of boulders in the middle of the west woods that, if you look at it just the right way, looks like a huge fist sticking out of the ground. If you look at it from any other side, it looks like a pile of enormous deer droppings, but Chiron wouldn't let us call the place the Poop Pile, especially after it had been named for Zeus, who doesn't have much of a sense of humor.**

**I set Nico on guard duty with Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers, figuring he'd be safely out of the way.**

"Thanks for thinking that I'm completely worthless!" Nico grumbled.

"Sorry but you haven't been trained yet."

**"We'll send out a decoy to the left," Thalia told the team. "Silena, you lead that."**

**"Got it!"**

**"Take Laurel and Jason. They're good runners. Make a wide arc around the Hunters, attract as many as you can. I'll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them by surprise."**

**Everybody nodded. It sounded good, and Thalia said it with such confidence you couldn't help but believe it would work.**

"Well now that I come to think of it, it was actually a really bad plan considering what the hunters would think."

"Great Thalia, thanks for boosting our self-esteem to beat you in the next game."

**Thalia looked at me. "Anything to add, Percy?"**

**"Um, yeah. Keep sharp on defense. We've got four guards, two scouts. That's not much for a big forest. I'll be roving. Yell if you need help."**

**"And don't leave your post!" Thalia said.**

**"Unless you see a golden opportunity," I added.**

**Thalia scowled. "Just don't leave your post."**

**"Right, unless—"**

**"Percy!" She touched my arm and shocked me.**

**I mean, everybody can give static shocks in the winter, but when Thalia does, it hurts. I guess it's because her dad is the god of lightning. She's been known to fry off people's eyebrows.**

"Yeah Thalia, that hurt quite a lot."

**"Sorry," Thalia said, though she didn't sound particularly sorry. "Now, is everybody clear?"**

**Everybody nodded. We broke into our smaller groups. The horn sounded, and the game began.**

**Silena's group disappeared into the woods on the left. Thalia's group gave it a few seconds, then darted off toward the right.**

**I waited for something to happen. I climbed Zeus's Fist and had a good view over the forest. I remembered how the Hunters had stormed out of the woods when they fought the manticore, and I was prepared for something like that—one huge charge that could overwhelm us. But nothing happened.**

**I caught a glimpse of Silena and her two scouts. They ran through a clearing, followed by five of the Hunters, leading them deep into the woods and away from Thalia. The plan seemed to be working. Then I spotted another clump of Hunters heading to the right, bows ready. They must've spotted Thalia.**

Thalia smiled. "Of course they would. They aren't called the Hunters of Artemis for nothing."

**"What's happening?" Nico demanded, trying to climb up next to me.**

**My mind was racing. Thalia would never get through, but the Hunters were divided. With that many on either flank, their center had to be wide open. If I moved fast…**

**I looked at Beckendorf. "Can you guys hold the fort?"**

**Beckendorf snorted. "Of course."**

**"I'm going in."**

**The Stoll brothers and Nico cheered as I raced toward the boundary line.**

**I was running at top speed and I felt great. I leaped over the creek into enemy territory. I could see their silver flag up ahead, only one guard, who wasn't even looking in my direction. I heard fighting to my left and right, somewhere in the woods. I had it made.**

**The guard turned at the last minute. It was Bianca di Angelo. Her eyes widened as I slammed into her and she went sprawling in the snow.**

"Percy!" Nico bellowed with rage.

**"Sorry!" I yelled. I ripped down the silver silk flag from the tree and took off.**

**I was ten yards away before Bianca managed to yell for help.**

**I thought I was home free.**

_**ZIP**_**. A silvery cord raced across my ankles and fastened to the tree next to me. A trip wire, fired from a bow! Before I could even think about stopping, I went down hard, sprawling in the snow.**

**"Percy!" Thalia yelled, off to my left. "What are you **_**doing**_**?"**

**Before she reached me, an arrow exploded at her feet and a cloud of yellow smoke billowed around her team. They started coughing and gagging. I could smell the gas from across the woods—the horrible smell of sulfur.**

**"No fair!" Thalia gasped. "Fart arrows are unsportsmanlike!"**

"That's not what you would say right now Thalia."

She glared at me, and this time it was my turn to smirk back at her.

**I got up and started running again. Only a few more yards to the creek and I had the game. More arrows whizzed past my ears. A Hunter came out of nowhere and slashed at me with her knife, but I parried and kept running.**

**I heard yelling from our side of the creek. Beckendorf and Nico were running toward me. I thought they were coming to welcome me back, but then I saw they were chasing someone—Zoe Nightshade, racing toward me like a cheetah, dodging campers with no trouble. And she had our flag in her hands.**

"One of the skills you get when you become a hunter." Thalia said smugly.

**"No!" I yelled, and poured on the speed.**

**I was two feet from the water when Zoe bolted across to her own side, slamming into me for good measure.**

"I should have summoned currents or something to keep her from reaching her side. Or I could have made a wall of water."

"Too late now." Thalia sad.

**The Hunters cheered as both sides converged on the creek. Chiron appeared out of the woods, looking grim. He had the Stoll brothers on his back, and it looked as if both of them had taken some nasty whacks to the head. Connor Stoll had two arrows sticking out of his helmet like antennae.**

**"The Hunters win!" Chiron announced without pleasure. Then he muttered, "For the fifty-sixth time in a row."**

The campers groaned. We really didn't need to know that. Artemis just smiled and nodded her head.

**"Perseus Jackson!" Thalia yelled, storming toward me. She smelled like rotten eggs, and she was so mad that blue sparks flickered on her armor. Everybody cringed and backed up because of Aegis. It took all my willpower not to cower.**

**"What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?" she bellowed.**

**I balled my fists. I'd had enough bad stuff happen to me for one day. I didn't need this. "I got the flag, Thalia!" I shook it in her face. "I saw a chance and I took it!"**

**"I WAS AT THEIR BASE!" Thalia yelled. "But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted in, we would've won."**

**"You had too many on you!"**

**"Oh, so it's my fault?"**

**"I didn't say that."**

Thalia and I looked apologetically at each other knowing what was going to happen next.

**"Argh!" Thalia pushed me, and a shock went through my body that blew me backward ten feet into the water. Some of the campers gasped. A couple of the Hunters stifled laughs.**

"I really didn't mean to do that," Thalia said. "Anger management problems."

**"Sorry!" Thalia said, turning pale. "I didn't mean to—"**

**Anger roared in my ears. A wave erupted from the creek, blasting into Thalia's face and dousing her from head to toe.**

**I stood up. "Yeah," I growled. "I didn't mean to, either."**

**Thalia was breathing heavily.**

**"Enough!" Chiron ordered.**

**But Thalia held out her spear. "You want some, Seaweed Brain?"**

**Somehow, it was okay when Annabeth called me that—at least, I'd gotten used to it—but hearing it from Thalia was not cool.**

"Oh so you do like that name." Annabeth said.

**"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!"**

"How original Percy." Rachel said.

**I raised Riptide, but before I could even defend myself, Thalia yelled, and a blast of lightning came down from the sky, hit her spear like a lightning rod, and slammed into my chest.**

**I sat down hard. There was a burning smell; I had a feeling it was my clothes.**

"You know Thalia, that was my favorite shirt."

"Sorry."

**"Thalia!" Chiron said. "That is **_**enough**_**!"**

**I got to my feet and willed the entire creek to rise. It swirled up, hundreds of gallons of water in a massive icy funnel cloud.**

**"Percy!" Chiron pleaded.**

**I was about to hurl it at Thalia when I saw something in the woods. I lost my anger and my concentration all at once. The water splashed back into the creekbed. Thalia was so surprised she turned to see what I was looking at.**

**Someone… something was approaching. It was shrouded in a murky green mist, but as it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped.**

**"This is impossible," Chiron said. I'd never heard him sound so nervous. "It… she has never left the attic. Never."**

**And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the center of the group. Mist curled around our feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green.**

**None of us dared move. Then her voice hissed inside my head. Apparently everyone could hear it, because several clutched their hands over the ears.**

"I have to say, that was really creepy." Nico said.

We all nodded in agreement.

_**I am the sprit of Delphi**_**, the voice said. **_**Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python**_**.**

"Wow brother, did you really have to put that in to look cool?" Artemis said.

**The Oracle regarded me with its cold, dead eyes. Then she turned unmistakably toward Zoe Nightshade. **_**Approach, Seeker, and ask**_**.**

**Zoe swallowed. "What must I do to help my goddess?"**

Once Artemis heard Zoe's name, she inclined her head to look up at the sky. Where Zoe's constellation was I assumed.

**The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. I saw the vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker, and it looked like she was in pain. **

**The Oracle spoke:**

_**Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,**_

_**One shall be lost in the land without rain,**_

Nico collapsed on the ground in grief while the rest sat in silence.

_**The bane of Olympus shows the trail,**_

_**Campers and Hunters combined prevail,**_

_**The Titan's curse must one withstand,**_

_**And one shall perish by a parent's hand**_**.**

"Zoe your dedication and loyalty …" Artemis trailed off.

**Then, as we were watching, the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she'd been in the attic, as if she might sit by this creek for a hundred years.**

"That's the end of the chapter. Who wants to go next?" Thalia asked.


	8. Everybody Hates Me But The Horse

**I'm aware that there have been some errors and I apologize. I realized that I wrote with Percy's POV for the past two chapters when it was supposed to be a third person POV. So from now on, I'm going to stick with third person. Also I have to thank Shrrgnien again for the first four chapters and the prologue. Sorry for calling you a guy, my bad. (Hit by Zeus's master bolt) Now on with it. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Everybody Hates Me But The Horse**

**"I'll read." Rachel said.**

**The least the Oracle could've done was walk back to the attic by herself.**

**Instead, Grover and I were elected to carry her. I didn't figure that was because we were the most popular.**

**The whole camp would be mad at me for losing the game to the Hunters, and then there was the new prophecy from the Oracle. It was like the sprit of Delphi had gone out of her way to exclude me. She ignored my question and walked half a mile to talk to Zoe. **_**And**_** she'd said nothing, not even a hint, about Annabeth.**

"Wow somebody is jealous." Thalia said.

Artemis gave Thalia a look that made her fall completely silent.

"**What will Chiron do?" I asked Grover.**

"**I wish I knew." He looked wistfully out the second floor window at the rolling hills covered in snow. "I want to be out there."**

"**Searching for Annabeth?"**

**He had a little trouble focusing on me. Then he blushed. "Oh, right. That too. Of course."**

"Wow thanks a lot Grover." Annabeth said.

Grover said nothing; instead he blushed a deep shade of red.

"Sorry," he said.

"**Why?" I asked. "What were you thinking?"**

**He clopped his hooves uneasily. "Just something the manticore said, about the Great Stirring. I can't help but wonder … if al those ancient powers are waking up, maybe … maybe not all of them are evil."**

"I was right!" Grover said excitedly.

Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement.

"**You mean Pan."**

"Well of course he means Pan, Percy!" Annabeth said. "It's his lifetime dream you know! Like how I want to become an architect!."

**I felt kind of selfish, because I'd totally forgotten about Grover's life ambition The nature god had gone missing two thousand years ago. He was rumored to have died, but the satyrs didn't believe that. They were determined to find him. They'd been searching in vain for centuries, and Grover was convinced he'd be the one to succeed.**

Grover sighed. "If only …"

"Grover," Percy said. "Remember what Pan told you? Respect his last wish."

"Yeah Perce, I'll try."

**This year, with Chiron putting all the satyrs on emergency duty to find half-bloods, Grover hadn't been able to continue his search. It must've been driving him nuts.**

"It was Percy. Glad to see you cared." Grover said.

"What do you mean by glad to see you cared? You're my best friend!" Percy yelled.

**I didn't know what to say. I wanted to encourage him, but I didn't know how. My optimism had pretty much been trampled into the snow out there in the woods, along with our capture-the-flag hopes.**

**Before I could respond, Thalia tromped up the stairs. She was officially not talking to me now, but she looked at Grover and said, "Tell Percy to get his butt downstairs."**

"**Why?" I asked.**

"**Did he say something?" Thalia asked Grover.**

"**Um, he asked why."**

"**Dionysus is calling a council of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy," she said. "Unfortunately, that includes Percy."**

"How'd you enjoy my silent treatment?" Thalia asked Percy.

"It was great fun." Percy replied sarcastically

**Mr. D and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoe and Bianca di Angelo (who had kind of become Zoe's personal assistant) took the other end. Thalia and Grover and I sat along the right, and the other head councilors-Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers-sat on the left. The Ares kids were supposed to send a representative, too, but all of them had gotten broken limbs (accidentally) during capture the flag, courtesy of the hunters. They were resting up in the infirmary.**

"Ares was kind of mad at the hunters and I for that." Artemis said.

Thalia nodded. "Lady Artemis almost had to throw Ares back into the jar he was stuck in to keep him from starting a war with her."

**Zoe started the meeting off on a positive note. "This is pointless."**

"**There is no time for talk," Zoe continued. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."**

Artemis had a small smile on her face, her eyes sparkled bright silver with affection for her hunters.

"**And go where?" Chiron asked.**

"**West!" Bianca said. I was amazed at how different she looked after just a few days with the Hunters. Her dark hair was braided like Zoe's now, so you could actually see her face. She had a splash of freckles across her nose, and her dark eyes vaguely reminded me of someone famous, but I couldn't think of who.**

"Someone famous Percy? Really?" Thalia said.

"Whatever. How was I supposed to know it was Hades?" Percy retorted.

Rachel took one look at them and continued reading. There was no need for another Zeus's child versus Poseidon's child war.

"**You heard the prophecy. **_**Five shall go west to the goddess in chains. **_**We can get five hunters and go."**

"**Yes," Zoe agreed. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her."**

"**You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. **_**"Campers and Hunters combined prevail. **_**We're supposed to do this together." **

"**No!" Zoe said. "The Hunters do not need thy help."**

"_**You," **_**Thalia grumbled. "Nobody has said **_**thy**_** in, like, three hundred years, Zoe. Get with the times."**

"I shouldn't have said that to her," Thalia mumbled sadly.

"**I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chrion said. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."**

"**Or do they?" Mr D used, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it had a fine bouquet. **_**"One shall be lose. One shall perish. **_**That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"**

"As horrible as he is, Mr. D does have a point." Annabeth stated.

"**Mr. D," Chiron sighed, "With all due respect, whose side are you on?"**

**Dionysus raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."**

"I wonder how Chiron actually deals with Dionysus," Artemis mused. "In some ways, he can be worse than my brother."

"Hey lil' sis!" Apollo said cheerfully, waltzing in from the other side of the forest.

"Apollo." Artemis groaned. "For the last time, I am not your little sister! I helped deliver you for Zeus' sake."

"Whatever. It would help if you didn't look like a 12 year old. Wait! Perfect haiku!" Apollo said happily. "My sis Artemis …"

"Apollo! Ugh! Just leave already!"

"No!"

Rachel continued, before the twin gods could bicker even more.

"**We're supposed to work together," Thalia said stubbornly. "I don't like it either, Zoe, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?"**

"Yep!" Apollo said.

**Zoe grimaced, but I could tell Thalia had scored a point.**

"I like the way you put that Percy." Thalia said.

"**We must no delay," Chiron warned. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."**

"**Oh, joy," Dionysus muttered. "Another dull annual meeting."**

"**Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoe said. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."**

"Oh please. Arty will just use the puppy dog eyes and dad will do anything. It works every time!"

"Apollo, what are you doing here anyways?"

"Just checking on you, seeing if you're ok and all." Apollo flashed his "trademark" grin.

"I do not need you to check on me. Don't you remember what happened last time you did that?" Artemis pointed up at the sky; at the constellation of Orion.

Apollo gulped. "Uh …"

"I thought so."

"But …"

Artemis's silver bow appeared in her hand. "Apollo, 3 seconds. 1 … 2 …"

"I'm leaving! I'm leaving!" Apollo zapped himself away before he was imbedded with a million silver arrows.

"Go on," Artemis told Rachel, who was still staring at her in shock.

"**I must agree with Zoe," said Chiron. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."**

"**Three and two," I said.**

**Everybody looked at me. Thalia even forgot to ignore me.**

"That's very unusual." Annabeth said. "It's very rare that Thalia would forget. She once ignored Luke for 3 days straight!"

"**We're supposed to have five," I said, feeling self-conscious. "Three Hunters, two from Camp Half-Blood. That's more than fair."**

**Thalia and Zoe exchanged looks.**

"**Well," Thalia said. "It does make sense."**

**Zoe grunted. "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We still need strength of numbers."**

"**You'll be retracing the goddess's path," Chiron reminded her. "Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: **_**The bane of Olympus shows the trail. **_**What would your mistress say? Too many Hunters spoil the scent'. A small group is best."**

"Wow Chiron is catching on." Artemis said. "Not my exact words but close enough."

"**Chiron," I said, "you don't have any ideas about the monster?"**

**Chiron pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. You father, Poseidon, would already have sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."**

"Not the monster itself, but it would make an individual more powerful." Annabeth stated.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"_**One shall be lost in the land without rain," **_**Beckendorf said. "If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert."**

**There was a muttering of agreement.**

Nico sighed.

"_**And the Titan's curse must one withstand," **_**Silena said. "What could that mean?"**

**I saw Chiron and Zoe exchange a nervous look, but whatever they were thinking, they didn't share it.**

"_**One shall perish by a parent's hand," **_**Grover said in between bites of Cheez Whiz and Ping-Pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"**

"She knew all along and she didn't tell us!" Thalia said with tears streaking down her face, her black eyeliner all smudged, trickling down her face.

**I remembered a conversation I'd had last year with Annabeth. I'd asked her, if I was so potentially dangerous, why the gods didn't just kill me**

_**Some of the gods would like to kill you, she'd said But they're afraid of offending Poseidon.**_

"Ares definitely" Percy said.

**Could an Olympian parent turn against his half-blood child? Would it sometimes be easier just to let them die? If there were ever any half-bloods who needed to worry about that, it was Thalia and me. I wondered if maybe I should've sent Poseidon that seashell pattern tie for Father's Day after all.**

"Percy, you're hilarious," Annabeth said. "Your father loves you very much and you know that."

"Well I'm sure you would have been scared if you heard _one shall perish by a parent's hand!"_

"**There will be deaths," Chiron decided. "That much we know."**

"**Oh, goody!" Dionysus said.**

"Typical Mr. D." said Rachel.

"**Percy is right," Silena Beauregard said. "Two campers should go."**

"**Oh, I see," Zoe said sarcastically. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"**

**Silena blushed. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters. Don't look at me!"**

"**A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at," Zoe scoffed. "What would thy mother say?"**

"I have to say that was actually a good one." Percy said.

"Well you better hope Clarisse doesn't hear that." Annabeth said

"**Stop it," Beckendorf said. He was a big guy with a bigger voice. He didn't talk much, but when he did, people tended to listen. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?"**

**Zoe stood. I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."**

Artemis nodded in approval.

"**The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis Stoll asked cautiously.**

**Zoe nodded.**

"**The one who put arrows in my helmet?" Connor added.**

"**Yes," Zoe snapped. "Why?"**

"**Oh, nothing," Travis said. "Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store." He held up a big silver T-shirt that said ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2001, with a huge list of national parks and stuff underneath. "It's a collector's item. She was admiring it. Ou want to give it to her."  
**

Thalia groaned. "No, don't!"

**I knew the Stolls were up to something. They always were. But I guess Zoe didn't know them as well as I did. She just sighed and took the T-shirt. "As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. And I wish Bianca to go."**

**Bianca looked stunned. "Me? But … I'm so new. I wouldn't be any good."**

"**You will do fine," Zoe insisted. "There is no better way to prove thyself."**

"And she did." Artemis concluded.

Nico nodded, solemnly.

"**And for campers?" Chiron asked. His eyes met mine, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking.**

"**Me! Grover stood up so fast he bumped the Ping Pong table. He brushed cracker crumbs and Ping-Pong ball scraps off his lap. "Anything to help Artemis!"**

Grover blushed, while Artemis looked amused.

**Zoe wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood."**

"**But he is a camper," Thalia said. "And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"**

"**Absolutely!"**

"Thanks Thalia." Grover said.

**Zoe wavered. I didn't know what a tracker's song was, but apparently Zoe thought it was a good thing.**

"**Very well," Zoe said. "And the second camper?"**

"**I'll go." Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her.**

**Now, okay, maybe my math skills weren't the best, but it suddenly occurred to me that we'd reached the number five, and I wasn't in the group. "Whoa, wait a sec," I said. "I want to go too." **

"Hero with a huge ego much?" Annabeth said. "And one more thing Percy, that was simple math. Addition?"

**Thalia said nothing. Chiron was sill studying me, his eyes sad. **

"**Oh," Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem.**

"**Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn't mean … I'll stay. Percy should go in my place."**

"**He cannot," Zoe said. "He is a boy. I won't have Hunters traveling with a boy."**

"**You traveled here with me," I reminded her.**

"**That was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. I will not go across country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy."**

"**What about Grover?" I demanded.**

**Zoe shook her head. "He does not count. He's a satyr. He is not technically a boy." **

"**Hey!" Grover protested. **

"It was kind of offensive," Grover commented.

"**I have to go," I said. "I need to be on this quest."**

"**Why?" Zoe asked. "Because of thy friend Annabeth?"**

**I felt myself blushing. I hated that everyone was looking at me. "No!" I mean, partly. I just feel like I'm supposed to go!"**

**Nobody rose to my defense. Mr. D looked bored, still reading his magazine. Silena, the Stoll brothers, and Beckendorf were staring at the table. Bianca gave me a look of pity.**

"**No," Zoe said flatly. "I insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male hero."**

"Hercules," Percy muttered, "Zoe …"

**Chiron sighed. "The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions."**

**My ears were ringing as I sat down. I knew Grover and some of the others were looking at me sympathetically, but I couldn't meet their eyes. I just sat there as Chiron concluded the council.**

"Percy, just how did you get on this quest and save me?" Annabeth asked.

"You'll see." Percy replied.

"**So be it," he said. "Thalia and Grover will accompany Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods" – he glanced at Dionysus – "present company included, we hope – be with you."**

"You must understand, Dionysus dislikes heroes based on personal experience." Artemis said.

"That I know about." Percy said.

**I didn't show up for dinner that night, which was a mistake, because Chiron and Grover came looking for me. **

"**Percy, I'm so sorry!" Grover said, sitting next to me on the bunk. "I didn't know they'd – that you'd – Honest!" **

"I'm sorry Percy." Grover said.

"It's ok. Things turned out better I guess, except for Phoebe. I mean I did get to go on the quest."

"You think?" Thalia said.

"**It's okay," I lied. "Really. It's fine."**

**Grover's lower lip trembled. "I wasn't even thinking … I was so focused on helping Artemis. But I promise, I'll look everywhere for Annabeth. If I can find her, I will."**

"Thanks Grover," Annabeth said.

**I nodded and tried to ignore the big crater that was opening in my chest. **

"Awwwww," Thalia said. "You know, the first five minutes I was out of the tree, I already knew you two loved each other. But no! You two had to be so blind!"

Percy and Annabeth blushed.

"**Grover," Chiron said, "perhaps you'd let me have a word with Percy?"**

"**Sure," he sniffled.**

**Chiron waited.**

"**Oh," Grover said. "You mean alone. Sure, Chiron." He looked at me miserably. "See? Nobody needs a goat."**

"Grover," Thalia said, "you've always been such a drama queen."

**He trotted out the door, blowing his nose on his sleeve.**

**Chiron sighed and knelt on his horse legs. "Percy, I don't pretend to understand prophecies."**

"**Yeah," I said. "Well, maybe that's because they don't make any sense."**

**Chiron gazed at the saltwater spring gurgling in the corner of the room. "Thalia would not have been my first choice to go on this quest. She's too impetuous. She acts without thinking She is too sure of herself." **

"Thanks a lot Chiron." Thalia muttered under her breath.

"**Would you have chose me?"**

"**Frankly no," he said. "You and Thalia are much alike."**

"**Thanks a lot."**

**He smiled. "The difference is that you are less sure of yourself than Thalia That could be good or bad. But one thing I can say: both of you together would be a dangerous thing."**

"**We can handle it."**

"**The way you handled it at the creek tonight?"**

"Yeah you two!" Rachel said.

Suddenly Rachel was completely soaked with water.

Percy whistled, trying to look innocent but failing miserably. Thalia's eyes glowed dangerously. Artemis had to stop her before she electrocuted the oracle.

**I didn't answer. He'd nailed me.**

"**Perhaps it is for the best," Chiron mused. "You can go home to your mother for the holidays. If we need you, we can call."**

"**Yeah, I said. "Maybe."**

**I pulled Riptide out of my pocket and set it on my nightstand. It didn't seem that I'd be using it for anything but writing Christmas cards.**

"Poor Percy." Thalia said.

Percy glared at Thalia.

"Face it Percy, my glares are the best."

**When he saw the pen, Chiron grimaced. "It's no wonder Zoe doesn't want you along, I suppose. Not while you're carrying that particular weapon."**

**I didn't understand what he meant. Then I remembered something he'd told me a long time ago, when he first gave me the magic sword: **_**It has a long and tragic history, which we need not go into.**_

Artemis sighed.

**I wanted to ask him about that, but then he pulled a golden drachma from his saddlebag and tossed it to me. "Call your mother, Percy. Let her know you're coming home in the morning. And, ah, for what it's worth … I almost volunteered for this quest myself. I would have gone, if not for the last line."**

"_**One shall perish by a parent's hand. **_**Yeah."**

**I didn't need to ask. I knew Chiron's dad was Kronos, the evil Titan Lord himself. The line would make perfect sense if Chiron went on the quest. Kronos didn't care for anyone, including his own children.**

**His face darkened. He made a claw over his heart and pushed outward – an ancient gesture for warding off evil. "Let us hope the prophecy does not mean what I think. Now, good night, Percy. And your time will come I'm convinced of that. There's no need to rush."**

"Do you think Chiron knew what the last line of the prophecy meant?" Percy asked.

"I think so," Annabeth said. "You know how Zoe and Chiron sort of shared a glance when that line was said, I think they both knew."

**He said your time the way people did when they meant your death. I didn't know if Chiron meant it that way, but the look in his eyes made me scared to ask.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, Chiron meant the Great Prophecy."

**I stood at the saltwater spring, rubbing Chiron's coin in my hand and trying to figure out what to say to my mom. I really wasn't in the mood to have one more adult tell me that doing nothing was the greatest thing I could do, but I figured my mom deserved an update.**

"Of course she does," Artemis said. "Such a strong woman who sacrificed so much for you, her son."

**Finally I took a deep breath and threw in the coin. "O goddess, accept my offering." The mist shimmered. The light from the bathroom was just enough to make a faint rainbow.**

"**Show me Sally Jackson," I said. "Upper East Side, Manhattan."**

**And there in the mist was a scene I did not expect. My mom was sitting at our kitchen table with some … guy.**

"That must have been awkward." Nico said.

"Yes it was very awkward."

**They were laughing hysterically. There was a big stack of textbooks between them. The man was, I don't know, thirty-something, with longish salt-and-pepper hair and a brown jacket over a black T-shirt. He looked like an actor – like a guy who might play an undercover cop on television. **

"Nice description." Thalia said, while the rest snickered.

**I was too stunned to say anything, and fortunately, my mom and the guy were too busy laughing to notice my Iris-message.**

**The guy said, "Sally, you're a riot. You want some more wine?"**

"**Ah I shouldn't. You go ahead if you want."**

"**Actually, I'd better use your bathroom. May I?"**

"**Down the hall," she said, trying not to laugh.**

**The actor dude smiled and got up and left.**

"**Mom!" I sad.**

**She jumped so hard she almost knocker her textbooks off the table. Finally she focused on me. "Percy! Oh, honey! Is everything okay?"**

"You know, you shouldn't do that to your mom," Grover said. "She's a nice lady."

"**What are you doing?" I demanded.**

**She blinked. "Homework." Then she seemed to understand the look on my face. "Oh, honey, that's just Paul – um, Mr. Blofis. He's in my writing seminar."**

"**Mr. Blowfish?"**

Everyone laughed at that, including Artemis.

"Percy, you and your father are both the same." Annabeth said.

"**Blofis. He'll be back in a minute, Percy. Tell me what's wrong."**

**She always knew when something was wrong. I told her about Annabeth. The other stuff too, but mostly it boiled down to Annabeth.**

**My mother's eyes teared up. I could tell she was trying hard to keep it together for my sake. "Oh, Percy …"**

Annabeth sighed. "Mrs. Jackson … Sally"

"**Yeah. So they tell me there's nothing I can do. I guess I'll be coming home.**

**She turned her pencil around in her fingers. "Percy, as much as I want you to come home" – she sighed like she was mad at herself – "as much as I want you to be safe, I want you to understand something. You need to do whatever you think you have to."**

**I stared at her. "What do you mean?"**

"**I mean, do you really, deep down, believe that you have to help save her? Do you think it's the right thing to do? Because I know one thing about you, Percy. You hear is always in the right place. Listen to it."**

"**You're … you're telling me to go?"**

**My mother pursed her lips. "I'm telling you that … you're getting too old for me to tell you what to do. I'm telling you that I'll support you, even if what you decide to do is dangerous. I can't believe I'm saying this."**

"**Mom-"**

**The toilet flushed down the hall in our apartment. **

"**I don't have much time," my mom said. "Percy, whatever you decide, I love you. And I know you'll do what's best for Annabeth."**

"**How can you be sure?"**

"**Because she'd do the same for you."**

Annabeth nodded. "I would," she said barely a whisper to Percy.

**And with that, my mother waved her hand over the mist, and the connection dissolved, leaving me with one final image of her new friend, Mr. Blowfish smiling down at her.**

"Blofis." Annabeth corrected.

**I don't remember falling asleep, but I remember the dream. I was back in that barren cave, the ceiling heavy and low above me. Annabeth was kneeling under the weight of a dark mass that looked like a pile of boulders. She was too tired even to cry out. Her legs trembled. Any second, I knew she would run out of strength and the cavern ceiling would collapse on top of her.**

Annabeth shuddered at the memory of holding the sky.

"**How is our mortal guest?" a male voice boomed.**

**It wasn't Kronos. Kronos's voice was raspy and metallic, like a knife scraped across stone. I' d heard it taunting me many times before in y dreams. But this voice was deeper and lower, like a bass guitar. Its force made the ground vibrate.**

**Luke emerged from the shadows. He ran to Annabeth, knelt beside her, then looked back at the unseen man. "She's fading. We must hurry."**

**The hypocrite. Like he really cared what happened to her.**

"Percy …" Annabeth said quietly.

**The deep voice chuckled. It belonged to someone in the shadows, at the edge of my dream. Then a meaty hand thrust someone forward into the light – Artemis – her hands and feet bound in celestial bronze chains.**

**I gasped her silvery dress was torn and tattered. Her face and arms were cut in several places and she was bleeding ichor, the golden blood of the gods.**

Thalia's body was shaking completely. Her eyes blazing with rage hearing what Atlas had done to her mistress.

"Thalia," Artemis said. "Your concern is moving, but I'm here now."

"**You heard the boy," said the man in the shadows. "Decide!"**

**Artemis's eyes flashed with anger I didn't know why she just didn't will the chains to burst, or make herself disappear, but she didn't seem able to. Maybe the chains prevented her, or some magic about this dark, horrible place. **

"The gods are powerless when bound with celestial bronze. It weakens them over time." Annabeth said.

**The goddess looked at Annabeth and her expression changed to concern and outrage. "How dare you torture a maiden like this!" **

"**She will die soon," Luke said. "You can save her."**

**Annabeth made a weak sound of protest. My heart felt like it was being twisted into a knot. I wanted to run to her, but I couldn't move. **

"**Free my hands," Artemis said.**

**Luke brought out his sword, Backbiter. With one expert strike, he broke the goddess's handcuffs.**

**Artemis ran to Annabeth and took the burden from her shoulders. Annabeth collapsed on the ground and lay there shivering. Artemis staggered, trying to support the weight of the black rocks.**

"Thank you Lady Artemis." Annabeth said.

"Anything for a fine maiden." Artemis replied with a small smile on her lips.

**The man in the shadows chuckled. "You are as predictable as you were easy to beat, Artemis."**

"**You surprised me," the goddess said, straining under her burde "It will not happen again."**

"**Indeed it will not," the an said "Now you are out of the way for good I knew you could not resist helping a young maiden. That is, after all, your specialty, my dear."**

**Artemis groaned. "You know nothing of mercy, you swine."**

"**On that," the man said, "we can agree. Luke you may kill the girl now."**

"**No!" Artemis shouted.**

Artemis growled.

**Luke hesitated. "She-she may yet be useful sir. Further bait."**

"**Bah! You truly believe that?"**

"**Yes, General. They will come for her. I'm sure."**

**The man considered. "Then the dracaenae can guard her here. Assuming she does not die from her injuries, you may keep her alive until winter solstice. After that, if our sacrifice goes as planned, her life will be meaningless. The lives of all mortals will be meaningless."**

"But it didn't go as planned," Thalia said.

**Luke gathered up Annabeth's listless body and carried her away from the goddess **

"**You will never find the monster you seek," Artemis said. "Your plan will fail." **

"**How little you know, my young goddess," the man in the shadows said. "Even now, your darling attendants begin their quest to find you. They shall play directly into my hands. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a long journey to make. We must greet your Hunters and make sure their quest is … challenging."**

**The man's laughter echoed in the darkness, shaking the ground until it seemed the whole cavern ceiling would collapse.**

**I woke with a start. I was sure I'd heard a loud banging. **

**I looked around the cabin. It was dark outside. The salt spring still gurgled. No other sounds but the hoot of an owl in the woods and the distant surf on the beach. In the moonlight, on my nightstand, was Annabeth's New York Yankees cap. I stared at it for a second, and then: BANG. BANG.**

"Annabeth, you're a Yankee's fan? High-5!" Nico said.

"Sorry Nico, I'm actually a Red Sox fan," Annabeth said. "The cap was a gift from my mom, and it just happened to be a Yankee's one."

Nico groaned.

"Lady Artemis, since you were captured, how was the moon on the sky?" Annabeth asked.

"Ah, I was on a hunt so it must have been one of the hunters who helped me drive the moon chariot."

"I see."

**Someone, or something, was pounding on my dorr. I grabbed Riptide and got out of bed.**

"**Hello?" I called.**

**THUMP. THUMP.**

**I crept to the door.**

"Look!" Thalia said. "The savior of Olympus is scared of monsters."

Percy groaned.

"Thalia just shut up before a make a tidal wave!"

**I uncapped the blade, flung open the door, and found myself face-toface with a black pegasus.**

_**Whoa, boss! **_**Its voice spoke in my mind as it clopped away from the sword blade. **_**I don't wanna be a horse-ke-bob!**_

"I never knew that the Pegasus had such good humor." Nico said.

"**Blackjack," I said, relieved but a little irritated. "It's the middle of the night!"**

**Blackjack huffed. **_**Ain't either, boss. It's five in the morning. What you still sleeping for**_

"**How many times have I told you? Don't call me boss."**

_**Whatever you say, boss. You're the man. You're my number one.**_

Everyone laughed at this.

"Percy's number 1 fan!" Thalia said, while tumbling on the ground with laughter.

"**Blackjack," I said, "you're supposed to stay in the stables"**

_**Meh, the stables. You see Chiron staying in the stables?**_

"**Well … no."**

_**Exactly. Listen, we got another little sea friend needs your help.**_

"**Again?"**

_**Yeah. I told the hippocampi I 'd come get you.**_

**I groaned. Anytime I was anywhere near the beach, the hippocampi would ask me to help them with their problems. And they had a lot of problems. Beached whales, propoises caught in fishing nets, mermaids with hangnails – they'd call me to come underwater and help.**

"Mermaids have hangnails?" Rachel asked. "Woah!"

"**All right," I said. "I'm coming."**

_**You're the best, boss.**_

"**And don't call me boss!"**

**Blackjack whinnied softly. It might've been a laugh.**

**I looked back at my comfortable bed. My bronze shield still hung on the wall, dented and unusable. And on my nightstand was Annabeth's magic Yankees cap. On an impulse, I stuck the cap in my pocket. I guess I had a feeling, even then, that I wasn't coming back to my cabin for a long long time.**

"That's the end of the chapter," Rachel said. "Who wants to eat?"

"Ooh! Me! Me!" Grover said, jumping up and down.

"Ok I guess," Rachel said, handing the book to Grover.

"Don't eat it! Otherwise I'll shock you," Thalia said. "We've only got one copy."


	9. I Make A Dangerous Promise

**I Make A Dangerous Promise**

"This one's a short one," Grover said.

**Blackjack gave me a ride down the beach, and I have to admit it was cool. Being on a flying horse, skimming over the waves at a hundred miles an hour with the wind in my hair and the sea spray in my face-hey, it beats waterskiing any day.**

"Well of course it does," Annabeth said. "Waterskiing compared to pegasi riding is like nothing."

"That's why you think," Thalia said, shuddering at the thought of flying in the sky.

_**Here. **_**Blackjack slowed and turned in a circle.**_** Straight down.**_

**I shot down into the darkness.**

**Twenty, thirty, forty feet. The pressure wasn't uncomfortable. I'd never tried to push it-to see if there was a limit to how deep I could dive. I knew most regular humans couldn't go past two hundred feet without crumpling like an aluminum can.**

"Wow Percy, Really?" Thalia said. "You're a son of Poseidon! You can go as deep as you want!"

**As I got closer to the bottom, I saw three hippocampi – fish tailed horses – swimming in a circle around an overturned boat. The hippocampi were beautiful to watch. Their fish tails shimmered in rainbow colors, glowing phosphorescent. Their manes were white, and they were galloping through the water the way nervous horses do in a thunderstorm. Something was upsetting them. **

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Now you notice."

**I got closer and saw the problem. A dark shape – some kind of animal – was wedged halfway under the boat and tangled in a fishing net, one of those big nets they use on trawlers to catch everything at once. I hated those things. It was bad enough they drowned porpoises and dolphins, but the also occasionally caught mythological animals. When the nets got tangled, some lazy fishermen would just cut them loose and let the trapped animals die. **

Grover sighed. "They're wrecking nature! Everything! The corals! Ugh!"

"Grover I know, I'm upset too." Percy said. "We're trying everything we can to save nature. Don't worry G-Man."

Grover nodded then continued.

**The hippocampi were swimming around frantically, wanting to help but not sure how. One was trying to chew the net, but hippocampi teeth aren't meant for cutting rope. Hippocampi are really strong, but they don't have hands, and they're not (shhh) all that smart.**

"I'm so going to tell them you said that Percy," Thalia said, giving him an evil smile.

"Thalia!" Percy groaned. "If you weren't a girl, I would've kicked your butt up to Olympus."

"You want to bet Percy?" Thalia replied. "I'm sure Lady Artemis would love to show you what girls are capable of."

Percy shuddered, and shrunk into a small ball. "N … No thanks," Percy said. "I can't fight her! That's like suicide! Besides, I can't fight off one million arrows in one second."

Artemis smirked.

_**Free it, lord! **_**A hippocampus said when it saw me. The others joined in, asking the same thing.**

**I swam in for a closer look at the tangled creature. At first I thought it was a young hippocampus. I'd rescued several of them before. But then I heard a strange sound, something that did not belong underwater:**

"**Mooooooo!"**

**I got next to the thing and saw that it was a cow. I mean … I'd heard of sea cows, like manatees and stuff, but this really was a cow with the back end of a serpent. The front half was a calf – a baby, with black fur and big, sad brown eyes and a white muzzle – and its back half was a black-and-brown snaky tail with fins running down the top and bottom, like an enormous eel.**

"That's a pretty good description coming from you," Annabeth said.

"Thanks for having such great faith in me." Percy muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Annabeth questioned, her eyes blaring murder.

"What? Um uh … nothing, just um … you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met.' Percy stammered.

"That's what I thought," Annabeth replied.

_**We don't know what it is, lord, **_**one of the hippocampi said. **_**Many strange things are stirring.**_

"**Yeah," I murmured. "So I've heard."**

**I uncapped Riptide, and the sword grew to full length in my hands, its bronze blade gleaming in the dark.**

**The cow serpent freaked out and started struggling against the net, its eyes full of terror. "Woah!" I said. "I'm not going to hurt you! Just let me cut the net."**

**But the cow serpent thrashed around and got even more tangled. The boat started to tilt, stirring up the muck on the sea bottom and threatening to topple onto the cow serpent. The hippocampi whinnied in a panic and thrashed in the water, which didn't help.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, you can speak with horses because your father created them. He didn't create cows so it wouldn't have understood what you said. Use your brain!"

"Annabeth, he doesn't have one! It's full of kelp!" Thalia said.

"**Okay, okay!" I said. I put away the sword and started speaking as calmly as I could so the hippocampi and the cow serpent would stop panicking. "It's cool. No sword. See? No sword/ Calm thoughts. Sea grass. Mama cows. Vegetarianism."**

"Mama cows Percy? Wow …" Nico snorted.

**I doubted the cow serpent understood what I was saying, but it responded to the tone of my voice. The hippocampi were all skittish, but they stopped swirling around me quite so fast.**

_**Free it, lord! **_**They pleaded.**

"**Yeah," I said. "I got that part. I'm thinking."**

**But how could I free the cow serpent when she (I decided it was probably a "she") panicked at the sight of a blade? It was like she'd seen swords before and knew how dangerous they were.**

Annabeth shook her head. "I still can't believe you thought the Ophiotaurus was a girl."

"**All right," I told the hippocampi. "I need all of you to push exactly the way I tell you."**

**First we started with the boat. It wasn't easy, but with the strength of three horsepower, we managed to shift the wreckage so it was no longer threatening to collapse on the baby cow serpent. Then I went to work on the net, untangling it section by section, getting lead weights and fishing hooks straightened out, yanking out knots around the cow serpent's hooves. The whole time, I kept talking to the cow fish, telling her everything was okay while she mooed and moaned.**

"**It's okay, Bessie," I said. Don't ask me why I started calling her that. It just seemed like a good cow name. **

"You named …"

Percy clamped his hand over Annabeth's mouth, stopping her from saying anything more.

"Continue Grover." Percy said calmly, while Annabeth slapped his hand away.

**Finally, the net came off and the cow serpent zipped through the water ad did a happy somersault.**

**The hippocampi whinnied with joy. **_**Thank you, lord!**_

"**Yeah," I said. "That's okay. Nice cow. Well … stay out of trouble."**

"A very dangerous one too," Artemis said.

The others nodded in agreement.

**I shot to the surface and broke through. Immediately Blackjack zoomed down and let me catch hold of his neck. He lifted me into the air and took me back toward the shore. **

_**Success, boss?**_

"**Yeah. We rescued a baby … something or other. Took forever. Almost got stampeded."**

_**Good deeds are always dangerous, boss. You saved my sorry mane, didn't you?**_

**I couldn't help thinking about my dream, with Annabeth crumpled and lifeless in Luke's arms. Here I was rescuing baby monsters, but I could save my friend.**

Thalia coughed at this, which earned a glare from both Annabeth and Percy.

**As Blackjack flew back toward my cabin, I happened to glance at the dining pavilion. I saw a figure – a boy hunkered down behind a Greek column, like he was hiding from someone.**

**It was Nico, but it wasn't even dawn yet. Nowhere near times for breakfast. What was he doing up there?**

**I hesitated. The last thing I wanted was more time for Nico to tell me about his Mythomagic game.**

"Thanks Percy," Nico muttered; shooting him a death glare, equal to Thalia's.

**But something was wrong. I could tell by the way he was crouching. **

"**Blackjack," I said, "set me down over there, will you? Behind that column."**

**I almost blew it.**

**I was coming up the steps behind Nico. He didn't see me at all/ He was behind a column, peeking around the corner, all his attention focused on the dining area. I was five feet away from him, and I was about to say **_**What are you doing? **_**real loud, when it occurred to me that he was pulling a Grover: he was spying on the hunters.**

"Nice name Percy!" Thalia said, while laughing.

Grover blushed, turning away slightly.

**There were voices – two girls talking at one of the dining tables. At this ungodly hour of the morning? Well unless you're the goddess of dawn, I guess.**

"Eos is the god of dawn Percy," Annabeth stated in the matter of fact way the Athena kids always said things. "Lady Artemis is the goddess of the moon."

**I took Annabeth's magic cap out of my pocket and put it on.**

**I didn't feel any different, but when I raised my arms I couldn't see them. I was invisible.**

"Hence the name invisibility cap," Annabeth said.

**I crept up to Nico and sneaked around him. I couldn't see the girls very well in the dark, but I knew their voices. Zoe and Bianca. It sounded like they were arguing.**

"**It cannot be cured," Zoe was saying. "Not quickly, at any rate."**

"**But how did it happen?" Bianca asked.**

"**A foolish prank," Zoe growled. "Those Stoll boys from the Hermes cabin. Centaur blood is like acid. Everyone knows that. They sprayed the inside of that Artemis Hunting Tour T-shirt with it."**

"So that's how you got on the quest!" Annabeth said.

Percy nodded.

"**That's terrible!"**

"**She will live," Zoe said. "But she'll be bedridden for weeks with horrible hives. There is no way she can go. It's up to me … and thee."**

"**But the prophecy," Bianca said. "If Phoebe can't go, we only have four. We'll have to pick another."**

"**There is no time," Zoe said. "We must leave at first light. That's immediately. Besides, the prophecy said we would lose one."**

"**In the land without rain," Bianca said, "but that can't be here."**

"**It might be," Zoe said, though she didn't sound convinced. "The camp has magic borders. Nothing, not even weather, is allowed in without permission. It could be a land without rain."**

"I wish Zoe was right." Nico said quietly.

The rest of the group looked at Nico sadly; full of pity.

"**But –"**

"**Bianca, hear me." Zoe's voice was strained. "I … I can't explain, but I have a sense that we should not pick someone else. It would be too dangerous. They might meet an end worse than Phoebe's. I don't want Chiron choosing a camper as our fifth companion. And … I don't want to risk another Hunter."**

**Bianca was silent. "You should tell Thalia the rest of your dream."**

"**No. It would not help."**

"It would have," Thalia said stubbornly. There were tears streaming down her face.

"**But if your suspicions are correct, about the General –"**

"**I have thy word not to talk about that," Zoe said. She sounded really anguished. "We will find out soon enough. Now come. Dawn is breaking."**

**I could tell what Nico was thinking. He took a deep breath and was about to run after his sister when I took off the invisibility cap and said, "Wait."**

**He almost slipped on the icy steps as he spun around to find me. "Where did you come from?"**

"**I've been here the whole time. Invisible."**

"Not a good thing to say Percy," Annabeth said. "He'll go on about how cool it is."

**He mouthed the words invisible. Wow. Cool."**

"Exactly my point," she said smugly.

"**How did you know Zoe and your sister were here?"  
**

**He blushed. "I heard them walk by the Hermes cabin. I don't … I don't sleep too well at camp. So I heard footsteps, and them whispering. And so I kind of followed."**

"**And now you're thinking about following them on the quest," I guessed.**

"**How did you know that?"**

"**Because if it was my sister, I'd probably be thinking the same thing. But you can't."**

**He looked defiant. "Because I'm too young?"**

"**Because they won't let you. They'll catch you and send you back here. And … yeah, because you're too young. You remember the manticore? There will be lots more like that. More dangerous. Some of the heroes will die."**

Nico bit his lip. "What if I had gone? Would I be able to save her?" he muttered to himself.

Surprisingly, Artemis stood up and touched Nico's shoulder slightly. 

"If you went, there would still be no changing the prophecy. Instead, it could've been you who died, or it could still be your sister. Either way, both of you would be hurt, but still a little different. One of you would be physically hurt, while the other emotionally."

"**Maybe you're right. But, but you can go for me."**

"**Say what?"**

"**You can turn invisible. You can go!"**

**"The Hunters don't like boys," I reminded him. "If they find out –"**

"**Don't let them find out. Follow them invisibly. Keep an eye on my sister! You have to. Please?"**

Nico shifted slightly, uncomfortably.

"**Nico –"**

"**You're planning to go anyway, aren't you?"**

**I wanted to say no. But he looked me in the eyes, and I somehow couldn't lie to him.**

"**Yeah," I said. "I have to find Annabeth. I have to help, even if they don't want me to."**

"**I won't tell on you," he said. "But you have to promise to keep my sister safe."**

"**I … that's a big thing to promise, Nico, on a trip like this. Besides, she's got Zoe, Grover, and Thalia –"**

"**Promise," he insisted.**

"Percy," Nico said.

"Yes?"

"I shouldn't have asked you to do that. It's too big of a promise. You had no control over it. I'm sorry."

"It's ok man." Percy said with a sad smile.

"**I'll do my best. I promise that."**

"**Get going, then!" he said. "Good luck!"**

**It was crazy. I wasn't packed. I had nothing but the cap and the sword and the clothes I was wearing. I was supposed to be going home to Manhattan this morning. "Tell Chiron –"**

"**I'll make something up." Nico smiled crookedly. "I'm good at that. Go on!" **

**I ran, putting on Annabeth's cap. As the sun came up, I turned invisible. I hit the top of Half-Blood Hill in time to see the camp's van disappearing down the farm road, probably Argus taking the quest group into the city. After that they would be on their own.**

**I felt a twinge of guilt, and stupidity, too. How was I supposed to keep up with them? Run?**

"Alert the media!" Thalia said. "Percy was stupid!"

**Then I heard the beating of huge wings. Blackjack landed next to me. **

_**If I was guessing boss, I'd say you need a getaway horse. You interested?**_

"Even the horse is smarter than you Percy," Thalia said, smirking.

**A lump of gratitude stuck in my throat, but I managed to say, "Yeah. Let's fly."**

"That's the end of the chapter," Grover said. "Anyone?" He waved the book around the air, looking at everyone to see who would volunteer.

"I'll read!" Percy said.

"No!" Thalia said. "You'll leave out all your stupid moments. Annabeth?"

"Sure why not?" Annabeth said, taking the book from Grover's hand.

"Let's see …"


	10. I Learn How To Grow Zombies

**I Learn How To Grow Zombies**

"I learn how to row zombies?" Nico said. "How lame is that?"

"Shut it Mythomagic boy!" Percy yelled.

**The thing about flying on a pegasus during the daytime is that if you're not careful, you can cause a serious traffic accident on the Long Island Expressway. I had to keep Blackjack up in the clouds, which were, fortunately, pretty low in the winter. We darted around, trying to keep the white Camp Half-Blood van in sight. **

"Thank the gods Lord Zeus didn't blast you out of the sky," Annabeth said.

**We lost the van twice, but I had a pretty good sense that they would go into Manhattan first, so it wasn't too difficult to pick up their trail again. **

**I landed Blackjack near the top of the Chrysler Building and watched the white camp van, thinking it would pull into the bus station, but it just kept driving. **

"**Where's Argus taking them? I muttered.**

_**Oh, Argus ain't driving, boss, **_**Blackjack told me. **_**That girl is.**_

"**Which girl?"**

_**The Hunter girl. With the silver crown thing in her hair.**_

"**Zoe?"**

"Zoe would stop at nothing to rescue Lady Artemis," Thalia said. "It's what all the Hunters would do, even if it would risk our lives, we would die trying."

_**That's the one. **_

**Meanwhile, the van kept snaking its way toward the Lincoln Tunnel. It had never even occurred to me that Zoe could drive. I mean, she didn't even look sixteen. Then again, she was immortal, I wondered if she had a New York license, and if so, what her birth date said.**

Thalia and Artemis looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We use the mist!"

"**Well," I said. "Let's get after them."**

**We were about to leap off the Chrysler Building when Blackjack whinnied in alarm and almost threw me. Something was curling around my leg like a snake. I reached for m sword, but when I looked down, there was no snake. Vines – grape vines – had sprouted from the cracks between the stones of the building. They were wrapping around Blackjack's legs, lashing down my ankles so we couldn't move.**

"Dun dun dun …" Nico said.

"**Going somewhere?" Mr. D asked.**

**He was leaning against the building with is feet levitating in the air, his leopard-skin warm-up suit and black hair whipping around in the wind.**

_**God alert! **_**Blackjack yelled. **_**It's the wine dude!**_

Everyone laughed at that.

"Oh Mr. D is not going to like that." Rachel said.

**Mr. D sighed in exasperation. "The next person, or horse, who calls me the 'wine dude' will end up in a bottle of Merlot!"**

"**Mr. D." I tried to keep my voice calm as the grape vines continued to wrap around my legs. "What do you want?"**

Annabeth shook her head. "Not wise Percy, not wise."

"**Oh, what do I want? You thought, perhaps, that the immortal, all-powerful director of camp would not notice you leaving without permission?"**

"**Well … maybe."**

"**I should throw you off this building, minus the flying horse, and see how heroic you sound on the way down."**

**I balled up my fists. I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but Mr. D was about to kill me or haul me back to camp in shame, and I couldn't stand either idea. **

"Hero with a huge ego," Thalia said.

"**Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?"**

**Purple flames flickered in his eyes. "You're a hero, boy. I need no other reason."**

"**I have to go on this quest! I've got to help my friends. That's something you wouldn't understand!"**

Annabeth face-palmed herself.

_**Um, boss, **_**Blackjack said nervously. **_**Seeing as how we're wrapped in vines nine hundred feet in the air, you might want to talk nice.**_

"Even the horse gets it," Thalia said.

**The grape vines coiled tighter around me. Below us, the white van was getting farther and farther away. Soon it would be out of sight. **

"**Did I ever tell you about Ariadne?" Mr. D asked. **

"Dionysus," Artemis sighed.

"**Beautiful young princess of Crete? She liked helping her friends, too. In fact, she helped a young hero named Theseus, also a son of Poseidon. She gave him a ball of magical yarn that let him find his way out of the Labyrinth. And do you know how Theseus rewarded her?"**

**The answer I wanted to give was **_**I don't care! **_**But I didn't figure that would make Mr. D finish his story any faster. **

"**They got married," I said. "Happily ever after. The end."**

"Aphrodite can be nice, and she can be merciless as well," Annabeth said.

There was thunder off in the distance.

"I'm just stating the facts!" Annabeth yelled at the sky.

The thundering immediately stopped.

**Mr. D sneered. "Not quite. Theseus said eh would marry her. He took her aboard his ship and sailed for Athens. Halfway back, on a little island called Naxos, he … What's the word you mortals us today? … he dumped her. I found her there, you know. Alone. Heartbroken. Crying her eyes out/ She had given up everything, left everything she knew behind, to help a dashing young hero who tossed her away like a broken sandal."**

"Men, they are all so foolish," Artemis said. "That's the reason why I despise men; the hunters as well. So many have been tossed away like this."

The boys knew better than to say anything.

"**That's wrong," I said. "But that was thousands of years ago What's that got to do with me?"**

**Mr. D regarded me coldly. "I fell in love with Ariadne, boy. I healed her broken heart. And when she died, I made her my immortal wife on Olympus. She waits for me even now. I shall go back to her when I am done with this infernal century of punishment at your ridiculous camp."**

**I stared at him. "You're … you're married? But I thought you got in trouble for chasing a wood nymph –" **

"He didn't do that on purpose," Artemis said. "Eros and his love arrows, just like what he did to Apollo." Artemis gritted her teeth together. "Those two love gods have to be dealt with."

"**My point is you heroes never change. You accuse us gods of being vain. You should look at yourselves. You take what you want, use whoever ou have to, and then you betray everyone around you. So you'll excuse me if I have no love for heroes. They are a selfish, ungrateful lot. Ask Ariadne. Or Medea. For that matter, ask Zoe Nightshade."**

"**What do you mean ask Zoe?"**

"I know now," Percy said softly before Annabeth could say anything.

**He waved his hand dismissively. "Go. Follow your silly friends."**

**The vines uncurled around my legs **

_**Too close, **_**Blackjack said. **

**Zoe drove south like a crazy person, and we were into Maryland before she finally pulled over at a rest stop. Blackjack darn near tumbled out of the sky, he was so tired. **

_**I'll be okay, boss, **_**he panted. **_**Just … just catching my breath.**_

"Poor creature. He should be rewarded," Artemis said.

"**Stay here," I told him. "I'm going to scout."**

_**Stay here' I can handle. I can do that. **_

**I put on my cap of invisibility and walked over to the convenience store.**

"Correction," Annabeth said. "My cap of invisibility, not yours."

**I thought I'd go inside and warm up, maybe get a cup of hot chocolate or something. I had a little change in m pocket. I could leave it on the counter. I was wondering if the cup would turn invisible when I picked it up, or if I'd have to deal with a floating hot chocolate problem, when my whole plan was ruined by Zoe, Thalia, Bianca, and Grover all coming out of the store. **

"Too bad!" Thalia said, poking her tongue out at Percy.

"**Grover are you sure?" Thalia was saying.**

"**Well … pretty sure. Ninety-nine percent. Okay, eighty-five percent."**

"**And you did this with acorns?" Bianca asked, like she couldn't believe it.**

**Grover looked offended. "It's a time-honored tracking spell. I mean, I'm pretty sure I did it right."**

"**D.C. is about sixty miles from here," Bianca said. "Nico and I …" She frowned. "We used to live there. That's … strange. I'd forgotten."**

"**I dislike this," Zoe said. "We should go straight west. The prophecy said west."**

"**Oh, like your tracking skills are better?" Thalia growled.**

**Zoe stepped toward her. "You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know nothing of being a Hunter!"**

"Oh but she does," Rachel said.

Everyone ignored her and Annabeth continued reading.

"**Oh, scullion? You're calling me a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?"**

"A scullion is a servant assigned the most menial kitchen tasks." Annabeth said.

"Thanks Zoe," Thalia muttered.

"**Whoa, you two," Grover said nervously. "Come on. Not again!" **

"**Grover's right," Bianca said. "D.C. is our best bet."**

"Hmmm … totally," Thalia said,

"Well it was," Grover said, his arms folded over his chest.

**Zoe didn't look convinced, but she nodded reluctantly. "Very well. Let us keep moving."**

"**You're going to get us arrested, driving," Thalia grumbled. "I look closer to sixteen than you do."**

"**Perhaps," Zoe snapped. "But I have been driving since automobiles were invented. Let us go."**

**As Blackjack and I continued south, following the van, I wondered whether Zoe had been kidding.**

"Zoe rarely jokes around," Artemis said.

**I didn't know exactly when cars were invented, but I figured that was like prehistoric times – back when people watched black and white TV and hunted dinosaurs.**

"Hunted dinosaurs Percy?" Annabeth asked raising her eyebrows.

**As we got closer to Washington, Blackjack started slowing down and dropping altitude. He was breathing heavily. **

"**You okay?" I asked him.**

_**Fine, boss. I could … I could take on an army.**_

"**You don't sound so good." And suddenly I felt guilty, because I'd been running ht pegasus for half a day, non-stop, trying to keep up with the highway traffic. Even for a flying horse, that had to be rough.**

"You should really get Blackjack some donuts," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, I know. I will."

"Does he really like donuts?" Rachel asked.

"He's like Grover with enchiladas." Percy said.

"Oh wow." Rachel muttered.

_**Don't worry about me, boss! I'm a tough one.**_

**I figured he was right, but I also figured Blackjack would run himself into the ground before he complained, and I didn't want that.**

**Fortunately, the van started to slow down. It crossed the Potomac River into central Washington. **

"**Set me down there," I told Blackjack. "That's close enough."**

**Blackjack was so tired he didn't complain. He dropped toward the Washington Monument and set me on the grass. **

**I looked at Blackjack. "I want you to go back to camp. Get some rest. Graze. I'll be fine."**

**Blackjack cocked his head skeptically. **_**You sure, boss?**_

"**You've done enough already," I said. "I'll be fine. And thanks a ton."**

"So loyal," Nico said. "Just like my skeleton warriors."

"Yeah," Percy said. "Difference is that those who serve you are dead, and mine are not. You have an advantage there."

_**A ton of hay, maybe, **_**Blackjack mused. **_**That sounds good. All right, but be careful, boss. I got a feeling they didn't come here to meet anything friendly and handsome like me.**_

"Oh Blackjack," Annabeth said. "Always so full of himself, but we love him for that."

**I promised to be careful. Then Blackjack took off, circling twice around the monument before disappearing into the clouds. **

I **looked over at the white van. Everybody was getting out. Grover pointed toward one of the big building lining the mall. Thalia nodded, and the four of them trudged off into cold wind. **

**I started to follow. But then I froze.**

**A block away, the door of a black sedan opened. A man with gray hair and a military buzz cut got out. He was wearing dark shades and a black overcoat. Now, maybe in Washington, you'd expected guys like that to be everywhere. But it dawned on me that I'd seen this same car a couple of times on the highway, going south. It had been following the fan.**

"I should have noticed," Thalia said. "That was so stupid of me."

**The guy took out his mobile phone and said something into it. The he looked around, like he was making sure the coast was clear, and started walking down the Mall in the direction of my friends.**

**The worst of it was: when he turned toward me, I recognized his face. It was Dr. Thorn, the manticore from Westover Hall. **

"Dude, he was creepy man!" Nico said.

**Invisibility cap on, I followed Thorn from a distance. Thorn kept well back from my friends, careful not to be seen.**

**Finally, Grover stopped in front of a big building that said NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. The Smithsonian! **

**Thalia checked the door. It was open, but there weren't many people going in. Too cold, and school was out of session. They slipped inside.**

**Dr. Thorn hesitated. I wasn't sure why, but he didn't go into the museum. He turned and headed across the Mall. I made a split-second decision and followed him.**

Annabeth nodded. "Nice move Percy."

**Thorn crossed the street and climbed the steps of the Museum of National History. There was a big sign on the door. At first I thought I said CLOSED FOR PIRATE EVENT. Then I realized PIRATE must be PRIVATE.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

**I followed Dr. Thorn inside, through a huge chamber of mastodons and dinosaur skeletons. There were voices up ahead, coming from behind a set of closed doors. Two guards stood outside. They opened the doors for Thorn, and I had to sprint to get inside before the closed them again.**

"That's the bad thing about invisibility," Annabeth mumbled.

**Inside, what I saw was so terrible I almost gasped out loud, which probably would've gotten me killed.**

**I was in a huge round room with a balcony ringing the second level. At least a dozen mortal guards stood on the balcony, plus two monsters – reptilian women with double snake trunks instead of legs. I'd seen them before. Annabeth had called them Scythian dracaenae. **

"I'm glad you remembered Percy," Annabeth said.

**But that wasn't the worse of it. Standing between the snake women – I could swear he was looking straight down at me – was my old enemy Luke. **

**Net to him, sitting down so that the shadows covered him, was another man. All I could see were his knuckles on the gilded arms of his chair, like a throne.**

"Atlas," Artemis hissed venomously.

"**Well? Asked the man in the chair. His voice was just like the one I'd heard in my dream – not as creepy as Kronos's, but deeper and stronger, like the earth itself was talking. It filled the whole room even though he wasn't yelling. **

"Nice comparison," Thalia said. "How ironic."

"**They are here, General."**

"**I know that, you fool," boomed the man. "But where?"**

"**In the rocket museum."**

"**How many?" Luke asked.**

**Thorn pretended not to hear.**

"**How many?" the General demanded.**

"**Four, General," Thorn said. "The satyr, Grover Underwood. And the girl with the spiky black air and the – how do you say – punk clothes and the horrible shield."**

Thalia laughed at his description.

"**Thalia," Luke said.**

"**And two other girls – Hunters. One wears a silver circlet."**

"**That one I know," the General growled.**

**Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably.**

"**Now, my boy." The General turned to Luke. "The first thing we must do is isolate the half-blood Thalia. The monster we seek will then come to her."**

"**The Hunters will be difficult to dispose of," Luke said. "Zoe Nightshade –"**

"**Do not speak her name!"**

Artemis growled.

**Luke swallowed.  
S-sorry, General. I just –"**

**The General silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Let me show you, my boy, how we will bring the Hunters down." **

**He pointed to a guard on the ground level. "Do you have the teeth?"**

**The guy stumbled forward with a ceramic pot. "Yes, General!"**

"**Plant them," he said.**

"No! It can't be! Tell me they didn't …" Artemis said.

"They did." Percy said glumly.

**In the center of the room was a big circle of dirt, where I guess a dinosaur exhibit was supposed to go. I watched nervously as the guard took sharp white teeth out of the pot and pushed them into the soil. He smoothed them over while the General smiled coldly.**

**The guar stepped back from the dirt and wiped his hands. "Ready, General."**

"**Excellent! Water them, and we will let them scent their prey."**

The guard picked up a little tin watering can with daisies painted on it, which was kind of bizarre, because what he poured out wasn't water. It was a dark red liquid, and I got the feeling it wasn't Hawaiian Punch.

"No duh Percy," Annabeth said. "It was blood!"

**The soil erupted. I stepped back nervously.**

**In each spot where a tooth had been planted, a creature was struggling out of the dirt. The first of them said: "Mew?"**

**It was a kitten. A little orange tabby with stripes like a tiger. Then another appeared, until there were a dozen rolling around and playing in the dirt.**

**Everyone stared at them in disbelief.**

Rachel laughed. "They planted kittens? That's unbelievable!"

Everyone just stared at her in shock.

**The General roared, **_**What is this? Cut cuddly kittens? Where did you find those teeth?"**_

**The guard who'd brought the teeth cowered in fear.**

"**From the exhibit, sir! Just like you said. The saber-tooted tiger –"**

"**No, you idiot! I said the tyrannosaurus! Gather up those … those infernal fuzzy little beasts and take them outside. And never let me see your face again."**

**The terrified guard dropped his watering can. He gathered up the kittens and scampered out of the room.**

"I'm surprised Atlas didn't kill the guard," Grover said.

"**You!" The General pointed to another guard. "Get me the **_**right teeth. NOW!"**_

**The new guard ran off to carry out his orders.**

"**Imbeciles," Muttered the General.**

"**This is why I don't use mortals," Luke said. "They are too unreliable."**

"Suck up!" Percy muttered under his breath.

"**They are weak-minded, easily bought, and violent," the General said. "I love them."**

**A minute later, the guard hustled into the room with his hands full of large pointy teeth.**

"**Excellent," the General said. He climbed onto the balcony railing and jumped down, twenty feet.**

**Where he landed, the marble floor cracked under his leather shoes. **

"**I shall do this myself."**

**He held up one of the teeth and smiled. "Dinosaur teeth-ha! Those foolish mortals don't even know when they have dragon teeth in their possession. And not just any dragon teeth. These come from the ancient Sybaris herself!**

There was a collective gasp from the group.

**He planted them in the dirt, twelve in all. Then he scooped up the watering can. He sprinkled the soil with red liquid, tossed the can away, and held his arms out wide. "Rise!"**

**The dirt trembled. A single, skeletal hand shot out of the ground, grasping the air.**

**The General looked up at the balcony. "Quickly, do you have the scent?" **

"**Yesssss, lord," one of the snake ladies said. She took out a sash of silvery fabric, like the kind the Hunters wore.**

"No …" Artemis said.

"**Excellent," the General said. "Once my warriors catch its scent, they will pursuer its owner relentlessly. Nothing can stop them, no weapons known to half-blood or Hunter. They will tear the Hunters and their allies to shred. Toss it here!"**

**As he said that, skeletons erupted from the ground. They were nothing like Halloween skeletons, or the kind you might see in cheesy movies. These were growing flesh as I watched, turning into men, but men with dull gray skin, yellow eyes, and modern clothes – gray muscle shirts, camo pants, and combat boots. If you didn't look too closely, you could almost believe they were human, but their flesh was transparent and their bones shimmered underneath, like X-ray images.**

"Those things that were chasing you when I first met you?" Rachel asked Percy.

He nodded.

Rachel shuddered, recalling the memory of the skeleton warriors.

**The snake lady released the scarf and it fluttered down toward the General's hand. As soon as he gave it to the warriors, they would hunt Zoe and the others until they were extinct.**

**I didn't have time to think. I ran and jumped with all my might, plowing in the warriors and snatching the scarf out of the air. **

"Thanks," Thalia said.

"**What's this?" bellowed the General.**

"**An intruder," the General growled. "One cloaked in darkness. Seal the doors!"**

"**It's Percy Jackson!" Luke yelled. "It has to be."**

"It is," Nico said.

**I sprinted for the exit, but heard a ripping sound and realized the skeleton warrior had taken a chunk out of my sleeve. When I glanced back, he was holding the fabric up to his nose, sniffing the scent, handing it around to his friends. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I squeezed through the door just as the guards slammed it shut behind me.**

**And then I ran.**

"That's the end of the chapter," Annabeth said, tossing the book to Rachel.


	11. I Break A Few Rocket Ships

**I Break A Few Rocket Ships**

"Another short one," Rachel said.

**I tore across the Mall, not daring to look behind me. I burst into the Air and Space Museum and took off my invisibility cap once I was through the admissions area.**

**I had to find Thalia and Grover and the Hunters. Any minute, the skeleton dudes were going to invade the museum, and I didn't think they would settle for an audio tour.**

"Wow Percy," Annabeth said. "You know what, I'm not even going to say anything about that."

**I ran into Thalia – literally. I was barreling up the ramp to the top-floor balcony and slammed into her, knocking her into an Apollo space capsule.**

"My brother did not appreciate that," Artemis said.

**Grover yelped in surprise. **

**Before I could regain my balance, Zoe and Bianca had arrows notched, aimed at my chest. Their bows had just appeared out of nowhere.**

"A specialty of the Hunters," Thalia said. "Our bow and arrows appear at our will."

**When Zoe realized who I was, she didn't seem anxious to lower her bow. "You! How dare you show thy face here?"**

"**Luke," I said, trying to catch my breath. "He's here."**

**The anger in Thalia's eyes immediately melted. She put her hand on her silver bracelet. "Where?"**

**I told them about the Natural History Museum, Dr. Thorn, Luke, and the General.**

"**The General is here?" Zoe looked stunned. "That is impossible! You lie."**

"Zoe," Artemis said. "Do not let your hate and anger blind you."

"**Why would I lie? Look there's no time. Skeleton warriors –"**

"**What?" Thalia demanded. "How many?"**

"**Twelve," I said. "And that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a 'playmate', to distract you over here. A monster."**

**Thalia and Grover exchanged looks.**

"**We were following Artemis's trail," Grover said. "I was pretty sure it led here. Some powerful monster scent … She must've stopped here looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't fond anything yet."**

"Did you stop there Lady Artemis?" Grover asked.

"Not exactly in that museum, but close enough." The goddess replied.

"So I was close!" Grover said excitedly.

"**Zoe," Bianca said nervously, "if it is the General –"**

"**It cannot be!" Zoe snapped. "Percy must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."**

"**Illusions don't crack marble floors," I told her.**

**Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. I didn't know why she was taking it so personally, or how she knew this General guy, but I figured now wasn't the time to ask.**

"Oh she knew him alright!" Rachel said.

"**If Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors," she said, "We have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible … We must leave now."**

"**Good idea," I said.**

"**I was not including thee, boy," Zoe said. "You are not part of this quest."**

"He would be soon," Nico said.

"**Hey, I'm trying to save your lives!"**

"**You should have come, Percy," Thalia said grimly. "But you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van." **

"**That is not thy decision!" Zoe snapped.**

**Thalia scowled at her. "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!"**

Thalia groaned. "I shouldn't have said that to her. She doesn't deserve it one bit."

"**You never had any wisdom when it came to boys," Zoe growled. "You never could leave them behind!"**

**Thalia looked like she was about to hit Zoe. Then everyone froze. I heard a growl so loud I thought one of the rocket engines was starting up.**

**Something enormous bounded up the ramp. It was the size of a pick-up truck, with silver claws and golden glittering fur. **

"**The Nemean Lion," Thalia said. "Don't move."**

"Why did Lord Zeus just destroy Echidna and her family?" Percy asked.

"He didn't so you heroes could be challenged," Artemis replied.

"**Separate on my mark," Zoe said. ""Try to keep it distracted."**

"**Until when?" Grover asked.**

"**Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!"**

"The mouth!" Annabeth shouted, like she was at the scene.

**I uncapped Riptide and rolled to the left. Arrows whistled past me, and Grover played a sharp **_**tweet-tweet **_**cadence on his reed pipes. I turned and saw Zoe and Bianca climbing the Apollo capsule. They were firing arrows, one after another, all shattering harmlessly against the lion's metallic fur. **

"I wish I could shoot arrows like that," Percy said.

Everyone laughed, knowing how bad he was with a bow and arrow.

**The lion swiped the capsule and tipped it on its side, spilling the Hunters off the back. Grover played a frantic, horrible tune, and the lion turned toward him, but Thalia stepped into its path, holding up Aegis, and the lion recoiled. "ROOOAAAR!" **

"It didn't sound that bad did it?" Grover asked.

"Could be compared to Lord Apollo's haikus," Percy said.

"Oh," Grover said glumly, while everyone else laughed.

**The lion growled and clawed the air, but it retreated as if the shield were blazing fire.**

**For a second, I thought Thalia had it under control. Then I saw the lion crouching, its leg muscles tensing. I knew the lion was going to pounce.**

"**Hey!" I yelled. I don't know what I was thinking, but I charged the beast. I just wanted to get it away from my friends. I slashed with Riptide, a good strike to the flank that should've cut the monster into Meow Mix, but the blade just clanged against its fur in a burst of sparks.**

"Meow mix," Thalia said. "Couldn't you have come up with a better name Percy?"

**The lion raked me with its claws, ripping off a chunk of my coat. I backed against the railing. It sprang at me, one thousand pounds of monster, and I had no choice but to turn and jump.**

**The lion swiped at me, and I dropped onto the next exhibit, a weird looking spacecraft with blades like a helicopter. I looked up and saw the lion roar – inside its maw, a pink tongue and throat.**

**It's mouth I thought. Its fur was completely invulnerable, but if I could strike it in the mouth …**

"Can you believe it?" Thalia said. "Out of everyone there, it was Percy Jackson, kelp for brains who thought of that."

"Thanks Thalia," Percy said, glaring at her,

"**Zoe!" I shouted. "Target the mouth!"**

**Zoe and Bianca were above us, bows ready, but they kept having to move around to get a good angle.**

"**No clear shot!" Zoe yelled. "Get it to open its mouth more!"**

**I looked around. **_**Options.**_** I needed …**

**The gift shop. I had a vague memory from my trip here as a little kid. Something I'd made my mom buy me, and I'd regretted it. If they still sold that stuff …**

"Oh that stuff!" Rachel said.

"I know right?" Percy said, nodding in agreement.

"**Thalia," I said, "keep it occupied."**

**She nodded grimly.**

**She pointed her spear and a spidery arc of blue electricity shot out, zapping the lion in the tail.**

"That was a nice shot Thalia," Percy said.

"Thanks."

"**ROOOOOOOAR!" The lion turned and pounced. Thalia rolled out of its way, holding up Aegis to keep the monster at bay, and I ran to the gift shop.**

"**This is no time for souvenirs, boy!" Zoe yelled.**

**I dashed into the shop, knocking over rows of T-shirts, jumping over tables full of glow-in-the-dark planets and space ooze. **

**There! On the far wall – glittery silver packets. Whole racks of them. I scooped up every kind I could find and ran out of the shop with an armful.**

**Zoe and Bianca were still showering arrows on the monster, but it was no good. The lion seemed to know better than to open its mouth too much.**

"Of course," Annabeth said. "Every time it was killed that way, you would think that he learned his lesson after the first couple times."

**Thalia jabbed at the monster and backed up. The lion pressed her.**

"**Percy," she called, "whatever you're going to do –" The lion roared and swatted her like a cat toy, sending her flying into the side of a Titan rocket. Her head hit the metal and she slid to the floor.**

"**Hey!" I yelled at the lion. I was too far away to strike, so I took a risk: I hurled Riptide like a throwing knife. It bounced off the lion's side, but that was enough to get the monsters' attention. It turned toward me and snarled.**

**There was only one way to get close enough. I charged, and as the lion leaped to intercept me, I chunked a space food pouch into its maw – a chunk of cellophane-wrapped freeze-dried strawberry parfait.**

"That one tasted disgusting," Rachel said.

**The lion's eyes got wide and it gagged like a cat with a hairball.**

"**Zoe, get ready!" I yelled.**

**I scrambled away from the lion. It managed to choke down the space food packet and looked at me with pure hate.**

"**Snack time!" I yelled. **

**It made the mistake of roaring at me, and I got an ice-cream sandwich in its throat. Before the lion could stop gagging, I shot in two more flavors of ice cream and a freeze-dried spaghetti dinner. **

**The lion's eyes bugged. It opened its mouth wide and reared up on its back paws, trying to get away from me. **

"**Now!" I yelled.**

**Immediately, arrows pierced the lion's maw – two, four, six. The lion thrashed wildly, turned, and fell backward. And then it was still.**

**Grover knelt at Thalia's side and helped her up. She seemed okay, just a little dazed. Zoe and Bianca dropped from the balcony and landed next to me. **

**Zoe eyed me cautiously. "That was … an interesting strategy."**

"I agree," Artemis said, nodding her head in approval.

"Pretty good for a son of Poseidon," Annabeth said, with a smile on her face,

"**Hey, it worked."**

"Exactly what I was going to say to you Annabeth," Percy said.

**She didn't argue.**

**The lion seemed to be melting, the way dead monsters do sometimes, until there was nothing left but its glittering fur coat, and even that seemed to be shrinking to the size of a normal lion's pelt.**

"**Take it," Zoe told me.**

**I stared at her. "What, the lion's fur? Isn't that, like, an animal rights violation or something?"**

Artemis looked at Percy, amused.

"**It is a spoil of war," she told me. "It is rightly thine."**

"**You killed it," I said.**

**She shook her head, almost smiling. "I think thy ice cream sandwich did that. Fair is fair, Percy Jackson. Take the fur."**

**I lifted it up; it was surprisingly light. The fur was smooth and soft. It didn't feel at all like something that could stop a blade. As I watched, the pelt shifted and changed into a coat – a full-length golden-brown duster.**

"**Not exactly my style," I murmured.**

"Definitely not," Annabeth said.

"**We have to get out of here," Grover said. "The security guards won't stay confused for long."**

**I noticed for the first time how strange it was that the guards hadn't rushed forward to arrest us. They were scrambling in all directions except ours, like they were madly searching for something. A few were running into the walls or each other.**

"**You did that?" I asked Grover.**

**He nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "A minor confusion song. It works every time. But it'll only last a few seconds."**

"**The security guards are not our biggest worry," Zoe said. "Look."**

**Through the glass walls of the museum, I could see a group of men walking across the lawn. Gray men in gray camouflage outfits. They were too far away for us to see their eyes, but I could feel their gaze aimed straight at me."**

"And I thought some other monsters were scary," Percy said. "Those skeleton warriors almost killed all of us!"

"**Go," I said. "They'll be hunting me. I'll distract them."**

"**No," Zoe said. "We go together."**

**I stared at her. "But, you said –"**

"**You are part of this quest now," Zoe said grudgingly. "I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You are the fifth quest member. And we are not leaving anyone behind."**

"That's it," Rachel said. "The end of chapter 10."

"What's the next chapter titled?" Nico asked.

"Grover gets a Lamborghini," Rachel replied.

"Then I think Grover should read," Artemis said.

"Ye … Yes Lady Artemis."

Artemis chuckled, and Grover almost fainted. He moaned "food, enchiladas, tin cans! Need food!"


	12. Grover Gets A Lamborghini

**Grover Gets A Lamborghini**

"It was an awesome car," Percy said.

Grover nodded.

**We were crossing the Potomac when we spotted the helicopter. It was a sleek, military model just like the one we'd seen at Westover Hall. And it was coming straight towards us.**

"**They know the van," I said. "We have to ditch it."**

"Wow Percy, for once you actually thought of something right!" Annabeth said.

**Zoe swerved into the fast lane. The helicopter was gaining. **

**The helicopter kept coming, making a lot better time than we were through D.C. traffic.**

**Thalia closed her eyes and prayed hard. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?**

**But the sky stayed gray and snowy. No sight of a helpful thunderstorm.**

"He isn't allowed to break the ancient laws," Annabeth said.

"**There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"**

"**We'll be trapped." Zoe said.**

"**Trust me," Bianca said.**

**Zoe shot across two lanes of traffic and into a small parking lot on the south bank of the river. We left the van and followed Bianca down some steps.**

"**Subway entrance," Bianca said. "Let's go south. Alexandria."**

"Oh that reminds me, did you know that Alexander the Great was a son of Athena?" Annabeth asked.

"Now we do," Nico said.

Grover continued to read before Annabeth could give a history lesson.

**We bought tickets and got through turnstiles, looking behind us for any signs of pursuit. A few minutes later we were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. As our train came above ground, we could see the helicopter circling the parking lot, but it didn't come after us.**

**Grover let out a sigh. "Nice job, Bianca, thinking of the subway."**

Artemis nodded in approval.

**The sound of the helicopter was getting louder again.**

"**We need to change trains," I said. "Next station."**

**Over the next half hour, all we thought about was getting away safely. We changed trains twice. I had no idea where we were going, but after a while we lost the helicopter.**

**Unfortunately, when we finally got off the train we found ourselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. **

**A homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. We must've looked pretty pathetic because he gave us a toothless grin ad said. "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"**

"I have a feeling that was not just some homeless guy," Annabeth said.

"**You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"**

"**Yes sir," I said. You know of any?"**

**He pointed one greasy hand. **

**Suddenly I noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.**

"Apollo," Artemis said.

"**That's … convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh …"**

**She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone. **

"Still think he's hot as a homeless guy?" Nico asked Thalia.

She glared at him, blue sparks flying of her body. This time Artemis didn't stop her and lightning struck Nico. His face was a black mess and his shirt was reduced to ashes.

"Gosh Thalia," Nico said. "That was my favorite shirt! It's vintage you know!"

**An hour later we were rumbling west. There was no problem who would drive now, because we all got our own luxury car. Zoe and Bianca were crashed out inn a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And Thalia had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the alt-rock stations from D.C.**

"Thalia, I never knew you could hot-wire cars." Nico said.

"Well with years on the run, I got some skills here and there." Thalia said.

"**Join you?" I asked her.**

**She shrugged, so I climbed into the shotgun seat.**

"**Nice coat," Thalia told me.**

**I pulled the brown duster around me, thankful for the warmth. "Yeah, but the Nemean Lion wasn't the monster we're looking for."**

"**Not even close. We've got a long way to go."**

"**Whatever this mystery monster is, the General said it would come for you. They wanted to isolate you from the group, so the monster will appear and battle you one-on-one."**

"I wouldn't say battle," Thalia said.

"Your fatal flaw," Annabeth said. "Power," she muttered under her breath.

Thalia nodded grimly.

"**He said that?"**

"**Well, something like that. Yeah." **

"**That's great. I love being used as bait."**

"**No idea what the monster might be?"**

**She shook her head morosely. "But you know where we're going, don't you? San Francisco. That's where Artemis was heading." **

"**Why?" I asked. "What's so bad about San Francisco?"**

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"**The Mist is really thick there because the Mountain of Despair is so near. Titan magic-what's left of it-still lingers, Monsters are attracted to that area like you wouldn't believe.''**

"**What's the Mountain of Despair?"**

**Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know? Ask stupid Zoe. She's the expert."**

**She glared out the windshield. I wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but I also didn't want to sound like an idiot. I hated feeling like Thalia knew more than I did, so I kept my mouth shut.**

"Too bad Percy," Thalia said.

**The afternoon sun shone through the steel-mesh side of the freight car, casting a shadow across Thalia's face. I thought about how different she was from Zoe-Zoe all formal and aloof like a princess, Thalia with her ratty clothes and her rebel attitude.**

"My clothes aren't ratty!" Thalia yelled.

**But there was something similar about them, too. The same kind of toughness. Right now, sitting in the shadows with a gloomy expression. Thalia looked a lot like one of the Hunters.**

**Then suddenly, it hit me: "That's why you don't get along with Zoe."**

**Thalia frowned. "What?"**

"**The Hunters tried to recruit you," I guessed.**

**Her eyes got dangerously bright. I thought she was going to zap me out of the Mercedes, but she just sighed."**

"You know, I was thinking about that." Thalia said.

"**I almost joined them," she admitted. "Luke, Annabeth, and I ran into them once, and Zoe tried to convince me. She almost did, but …"**

"**But?"**

**Thalia's fingers gripped the wheel. "I would've had to leave Luke."**

"**Oh."**

"**Zoe and I got into a fight. She told me I was being stupid. She said I'd regret my choice. She said that Luke would let me down someday."**

Annabeth gave a sad smile, and hugged Thalia tightly.

"**That's harsh," I said. "Hard to admit Zoe was right."**

"**She wasn't right! Luke never let me down. Never."**

Thalia sighed.

"**We'll have to fight him," I said. "There's no way around it."**

**Thalia didn't answer. **

"**You haven't seen him lately." I warned. "I know it's hard to believe, but-"**

"**I'll do what I have to do."**

"**Even if it means killing him?"**

"**Do me a favor," she said. "Get out of my car."**

**I felt so bad for her I didn't argue.**

**As I was about to leave, she said, "Percy."**

**When I looked back, her eyes were red, but I couldn't tell if it was from anger or sadness. "Annabeth wanted to join the Hunters, too. Maybe you should think about why."**

**Before I could respond, she raised the power windows and shut me out.**

"I still don't know why," Percy muttered.

"She wanted to go out into the world and fight monsters instead of being stuck at camp," Thalia said.

Annabeth nodded.

**As I watched the sun go down, I thought of Annabeth. I was afraid to go to sleep. I was worried that I might dream.**

"**Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," a voice said right next to me.**

**I looked over. Somehow, I wasn't surprised to find the homeless guy from the rail yard sitting in the shotgun seat. **

"**If it weren't for dreams," he said, "I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids." He cleared his throat, then held up his hands dramatically:**

Artemis cleared her throat. "Can we please skip this part? I've been listening to my brother's horrible haikus for the past century."

Everyone nodded.

"**Apollo?" I guessed, because I figured nobody else could make a haiku that bad.**

"I don't even know why father granted his wish of becoming the god of poetry," Artemis said. "He's so bad at it."

**He put his finger to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."**

"**A god named Fred?"**

"**Eh, well … Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off, when there's a human quest. Even when something really major is wrong. But nobody messes with my baby sister. Nobody."**

"Apollo!" Artemis yelled.

Suddenly there was a popping sound and Apollo appeared.

"What sis?"

Artemis' silver bow appeared in her hand, but this time there was no warning. She let loose an arrow, which hit its target perfectly; the center of Apollo's forehead. Then Artemis landed a Sparta kick right on the square of Apollo's chest.

Apollo groaned. "My ribs! All broken."

"That's right," Artemis said. "Even if you're the god of healing, it'll take a year to heal up. Hopefully you'll remember never to call me your lil' sis or your baby sister."

Apollo zapped himself away. Everyone stared at Artemis.

"What?" she said.

Everyone looked away, afraid that they were going to get a beating from her.

"**Can you help us, then?"**

"**Shhh. I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?"**

"**The train. How fast are we moving?"**

**Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost unset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."**

"**But where is Artemis?"  
**

**His face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's clouded from me. I don't like it."**

"I absolutely hate that," Artemis said.

"**What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" I asked. "Do you know what it is?"**

"**No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes obscure from my Oracle."**

"He was a hard one to catch," Percy said.

**Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Percy, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"**

"Have you done it yet?" Nico asked.

"No, and I'm not planning on doing it." Percy replied.

**I wanted to protest that I wasn't tired and I'd never make up a haiku in my life, but Apollo snapped his finger, and the next thing I knew I was closing my eyes.**

**In my dream, I was somebody else. I was wearing an old fashioned Greek tunic, which was a little too breezy downstairs, and laced leather sandals. The Nemean Lion's skin was wrapped around my back like a cape, and I was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping my hand.**

"Nice description," Nico said snickering.

Artemis' eyes widened in shock, but she remained silent for the moment.

"**Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see her face clearly, but I could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!"**

**It was nighttime. A million stars blazed above. We were running through tall grass, and scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and et the girl was leading me through it, as if we were about to die.**

"**I'm not afraid," I tried to tell her.**

"**You should be!" she said, pulling me along. She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.**

**We raced up the side of the hill. She pulled me behind a thorn bush and we collapsed, both breathing heavily. I didn't know why the girl was scared. The garden seemed so peaceful. And I felt strong. Stronger than I'd ever felt before. **

"**There is no need to run," I told her. My voice sounded deeper, much more confident.**

"**I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."**

"**Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way."**

**The hurt in her voice surprised me. She was really concerned, almost like she cared about me.**

"**I don't trust your father," I said.**

"**You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die!"**

**I chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"**

"**I … I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out … they would disown me."**

"And you Hercules, caused all of this." Artemis said venomously. "Broke a maiden's heart. Completely shattered it."

"**Then there's nothing for it." I stood up, rubbing my hands together.**

"**Wait!" the girl said.**

**She seemed to be agonizing over a decision. Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave t to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power"**

**The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.**

"**Take it," she told me. "And make of it a weapon."**

**I laughed. "A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one"**

"**It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."**

**The girl's voice softened my heart. I reached down and took the hairpin, and as I did, it grew longer and heavier in my hand, until I held a familiar bronze sword.**

"**What shall I name this blade?"**

"**Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes on by surprise And before you know it, out have been swept out to sea."**

**Before I could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like air escaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He is here!"**

"Hercules," Annabeth muttered.

**I sat bolt upright in the Lamborghini's driver's seat." Grover was shaking my arm. "Percy," he said. "It's morning. The train's stopped. Come on!"**

**I fished my pen out of my pocket and stared at it. **_**Anaklusmos**_**, the Ancient Greek name for Riptide. A different form but I was sure it was the same blade I'd seen in my dream.**

**And I was sure of something else, too. The girl I had seen was Zoe Nightshade.**

"Indeed," Artemis said.

"Can I continue reading?" Grover asked. "I think the next chapter is where the pig comes in."

"Sure." Everyone nodded their heads.


	13. I Go Snowboarding With A Pig

**I Go Snowboarding With A Pig**

Nico laughed. "Wow Percy, I just love the titles you come up with."

**We'd arrived on the outskirts of a little ski town nestled in the mountains. The sign said WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO. The air was cold and thin. **

**Even with my lion-skin coat, I was freezing by the time we got to Main Street, which was about half a mile from the train tracks. **

**We stopped in the middle of town. You could pretty much see everything from there: a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store. **

"**Great," Thalia said, looking around. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."**

"**There's a coffee shop!" said Grover.**

"Grover, you and coffee." Annabeth said.

"**Yes," Zoe said. "Coffee is good."  
**

"**And pastries," Grover said dreamily. "And wax paper."**

"But they still don't beat enchiladas," Grover said.

**Thalia sighed. "Fine. How about you two go get us some food. Percy, Bianca, and I will check in the grocery store. Maybe they can give us directions."**

"**You could call for a taxi from Alamogordo," the clerk said doubtfully. "That's down at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars."**

"**Wonderful," Thalia grumped. "I'm going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion."**

"**But the clerk said-"**

"**I know," she told me. "I'm checking anyway."**

**I let her go.**

"Personal space," Thalia said. "Needed some alone time."

**Bianca and I stood together awkwardly. I mean … I was never very comfortable talking one-on-one with girls anyways, and I'd never been alone with Bianca before. I wasn't sure what to say, especially now that she was a Hunter and everything.**

"You can just talk to us like we're normal people," Thalia said. "Just don't try to flirt with us or anything like that."

"**So how do you like being a Hunter so far?" I asked.**

**She pursed her lips. "You're not still mad at me for joining, are you?"**

"**Nah. Long as, you know … you're happy."**

"**I'm not sure 'happy' is the right word, with Lady Artemis gone. But being a Hunter is definitely cool. I feel calmer somehow. Everything seems to have slowed down around me. I guess that's the immortality."**

**I stared at her, trying to see the difference. She did seem more confident than before, roe at peace. She didn't hide her face under a green cap anymore. She kept her hair tied back, and she looked me right in the eyes when she spoke. **

"**Nico didn't understand my decision," Bianca murmured.**

"I do now," Nico said sadly.

"**He'll be all right," I said. "Camp Half-Blood takes in a lot of young kids. They did that for Annabeth."**

**Bianca nodded. "I hope we find her. Annabeth, I mean. She's lucky to have a friend like you."**

"**Lot of good it did her."**

Annabeth sighed. "Seaweed brain …"

"**Don't blame yourself, Percy. You risked your life to save my brother and me. I mean, that was seriously brave. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have felt okay about leaving Nico at the camp. I figured there were people like you there, Nico would be fine. You're a good guy."**

**The compliment took me by surprise. "Even though I knocked you out during capture the flag?"**

**She laughed. "Okay. Except for that, you're a good guy." **

"Yes you are," Annabeth said.

**A couple hundred yards away, Grover and Zoe came out of the coffee shop loaded down with pastry bags and drinks. I kind of didn't want them to come back yet. It was weird, but I realized I liked talking to Bianca. She wasn't so bad. A lot easier to hang out with than Zoe Nightshade, anyway.**

"Of course," Artemis said. "Zoe is a lot different from Bianca."

"**So what's the story with you and Nico?" I asked her.**

"**Where did you go to school before Westover?"**

**She frowned. "I think it was a boarding school in D.C. I t seems like so long ago."**

"You never lived with your parents? I mean, your mortal parent?"

"**We were told our parents were dead. There was a bank trust for us. A lot of money, I think. A lawyer would come by once in a while to check on us. Then Nico and I had to leave that school."**

"Mom's dead, because of Lord Zeus." Nico muttered to himself.

"**Why?"**

**She knit her eyebrows. "We had to go somewhere. I remember it was important. We traveled a long way. And we stayed in this hotel for a few weeks. And then … I don't know. One day a different lawyer came to get us out. He said it was time for us to leave. He drove us back east, through D.C. Then up into Maine. And we started going to Westover."**

"**So you've been raising Nico pretty much all your life?" I asked. "Just the two of you?"**

**She nodded. "That's why I wanted to join the Hunters so bad. I mean, I know it's selfish but I wanted my own life and friends. I love Nico-don't get me wrong-I just needed to find out what it would be like not to be a big sister twenty-four hours a day."**

"I'm sorry Bianca, for being such a wreck." Nico said.

Everyone looked at Nico and smiled sadly, while Percy patted him on the back.

"Come on Nico, you weren't a wreck." Percy said.

"**We should do the tracking spell," Zoe said. "Grover, do you have any acorns left?"**

"**Umm," Grover mumbled. He was chewing on a bran muffin, wrapper and all. "I think so. I just need to-"**

**He froze.**

**I was about to ask what was wrong, whe a warm breeze rustled past, like a gust of springtime had gotten lost in the middle of winter. Fresh air seasoned with wildflowers and sunshine. And something else-almost like a voice, trying to say something. A warning.**

"Pan!" Grover yelled.

**Zoe gasped. "Grover, thy cup."**

**Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with pictures of birds. Suddenly the birds peeled off the cup and flew away-a flock of tiny doves. **

**Grover collapsed next to his coffee, which steamed against the snow. We gathered around him and tried to wake him up. He groaned, his eyes fluttering.**

"I'm surprised he didn't ask for food," Annabeth said.

**We made it to the edge of the town before the first two skeleton warriors appeared. They stepped from the trees on either side of the road. Instead of gray camouflage, they were new wearing blue New Mexico State Police uniform, but still had the same transparent gray skin and yellow eyes.**

**They drew their handguns. I'll admit I used to think it would be kind of cool to learn how to shoot a gun, but I changed my mind as soon as the skeleton warriors pointed theirs at me.**

"Boys," Artemis and Thalia said at the same time shaking their heads.

**Thalia tapped her bracelet. Aegis spiraled to life on her arm, but the warriors didn't flinch. Their glowing yellow eyes bored right into me.**

**I drew Riptide, though I wasn't sure what good it would do against guns. **

"No it wouldn't," Nico said.

**Zoe and Bianca drew their bows, but Bianca was having trouble because Grover kept swooning and leaning against her. **

"**It's near," Grover moaned.**

"**It's here," I said.**

"**No," he insisted. "The gift. The gift from the Wild."**

**I didn't know what he was talking about, but I was worried about his condition. He was in no shape to walk, much less fight.**

"**The Wild!" Grover moaned.**

**A warm wind blew through the canyon, rustling the trees, but I kept my eyes on the skeletons. I remembered the General gloating over Annabeth's fate. I remembered the way Luke betrayed her.**

**And I charged.**

**The first skeleton fired Time slowed down. I won't say I could see the bullet, but I could feel its path, the same way I felt water currents in the ocean. I deflected it off the edge of my blade and kept charging.**

"Wow, that's cool," Rachel said. "You can feel ocean currents and bullets?"

**The skeleton drew a baton and I sliced off his arms at the elbows. Then I swung Riptide through his waist and cut him in half.**

**His bones unknit and clattered to the asphalt in a heap. Almost immediately, they began to move, reassembling themselves. The second skeleton clattered his teeth and me and tried to fire, but I knocked his gun into the snow. **

**I thought I was doing pretty well, until the other two skeletons shot me in the back.**

**I landed facedown in the street. Then I realized something ... I wasn't dead. The impact of the bullets had been dull, like a push from behind, but they hadn't hurt me.**

**The Nemean Lion's fur! The coat was bulletproof.**

"This time baby I'll be … bulletproof!" Nico sang.

**There was no way to stop them. Zoe and Bianca fired at their heads point-blank, but the arrows just whistled straight through their empty skulls. Once lunged at Bianca, and I thought she was a goner, but she whipped out her hunting knife and stabbed the warrior in the chest. The whole skeleton erupted into flames, leaving a little pile of ashes and a police badge.**

"Child of Hades," Nico explained. "Although I'm surprised she could kill one at that stage, I mean she hasn't even been claimed yet."

"**How did you do that?" Zoe asked.**

"**I don't know," Bianca said nervously. "Luck stab?"**

"**Well, do it again!"**

**Bianca tried, but the remaining three skeletons were wry of her now. They pressed us back, keeping us at baton's length.**

"**Plan?" I said as we retreated.**

**Nobody answered. The trees behind the skeletons were shivering. Branches were cracking.**

"**A gift," Grover muttered.**

"Thank you Lord Pan!" Grover yelled out into the forests.

Artemis cleared her throat. "Um Grover, sorry to disappoint you, but the forest is my domain."

"Sorry," Grover muttered sheepishly.

**And then, with a mighty roar, the largest pig I'd ever seen came crashing into the road. It was a wild boar, thirty feet high with a snotty pink snout and tusks the size of canoes. Its back bristled with brown hair, and its eyes were wild and angry.**

"**REEEEEEEEEET"" it squealed, and raked the three skeletons aside with its tusks. The force was so great, they went flying over the trees and into the side of the mountain, where they smashed to pieces, thigh bones and arm bones twirling everywhere. **

"I'm surprised we didn't go deaf," Thalia said.

**Then the pig turned on us.**

**Thalia raised her spear, but Grover yelled, "Don't kill it!"**

"**That's the Erymanthian Boar," Zoe sad, trying to stay calm "I don't think we can kill it."**

"**It's a gift," Grover said. "A blessing from the Wild!"**

The boar said "REEEEEEET!" and swung its tusk. Zoe and Bianca dived out of the way. I had to push Grover so he wouldn't get launched into the mountain on the Boar Tusk Escape.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Lovely**."**

"**Yeah, I feel blessed!" I said. "Scatter!"**

**We ran in different directions, and for a moment the boar was confused.**

"**It wants to kill us!" Thalia said.**

"**Of course," Grover said. "It's wild!"**

"**So how is that a blessing" Bianca asked.**

**It seemed a fair question, but the pig was offended and charged her. She was faster than I'd realized. She rolled out of the way of its hooves and came up behind the beast. It lashed out with its tusks and pulverized the WELCOMETO CLOUDCROFT sign. **

"I'm surprised you could read it," Annabeth said.

"Thanks a bunch Annabeth," Percy said. "Grover, I thought you could like talk to all animals. Why didn't you tell it to stop?"

"I tried, but like I said. It's wild!"

"**Keep moving!" Zoe yelled. She and Bianca ran in opposite directions. Grover danced around the boar, playing his pipes while the boar snorted and tried to gouge him. But Thalia and I won the prize for bad luck. When the boar turned on us, Thalia made the mistake of raising Aegis in defense. The sight of the Medusa head made the boar squeal in outrage. Maybe it looked too much like one of its relatives. The boar charged us.**

"Maybe it looked too much like on of its relatives?" Nico snorted.

**We only managed to keep ahead of it because we ran uphill, and we could dodge in and out of trees while the boar had to plow through them.**

**On the other side of the hill, I found an old stretch of train tracks, half buried in the snow.**

"**This way!" I grabbed Thalia's arm and we ran along the rails while the boar roared behind us, slipping and sliding as it tried to navigate the steep hillside. Its hooves just were not made for this, thank the gods.**

"You're welcome," Artemis said.

**Ahead of us, I saw a covered tunnel. Past that, an old trestle bridge spanning a gorge. I had a crazy idea.**

"**Follow me!"**

"Ugh! Percy, it was more than crazy!" Thalia yelled.

**Thalia slowed down-I didn't have time to ask why-but I pulled her along and she reluctantly followed. Behind us, a ten-ton pig tank was knocking down pine trees and crushing boulder under its hooves as it chased us.**

**Thalia and I ran into the tunnel and came out on the other side.**

"**No!" Thalia screamed.**

**She'd turned as white as ice. We were at the edge of the bridge. Below, the mountain dropped away into a snow-filled gorge about seventy feet below.**

**The boar was right behind us.**

"You didn't …" Annabeth said.

"**Come on!" I said. "It'll hold our weight, probably."**

"**I can't! Thalia yelled. Her eyes were wild with fear.**

**The boar smashed into the covered tunnel, tearing through at full speed.**

"**Now!" I yelled at Thalia.**

**She looked down and swallowed. I swear she was turning green.**

"I was!" Thalia said in outrage.

**I didn't have time to process why. The boar was charging through the tunnel, straight toward us. Plan B. I tackled Thalia and sent us both sideways off the edge of the bridge into the side of the mountain. We slid on Aegis like a snowboard, over rocks and mud and snow, racing downhill. **

"I'm surprised you could think of a plan," Annabeth said.

**The boar was less fortunate; it couldn't turn that fast, so all ten tons of the monster charged out onto the tiny trestle, which buckled under its weight. The boar free-fell into the gorge with a mighty squeal and landed in a snowdrift with a huge POOOOOF!**

**Thalia and I skidded to a stop. We were both breathing hard. I was cut up and bleeding. Thalia had pine needles in her hair. Next to us, the wild boar was squealing and struggling. All I could see was the bristly tip of its back. It was wedged completely in the snow like Styrofoam packing. It didn't seem to be hurt, but it wasn't going anywhere either.**

"Skip this part please!" Percy said. "Otherwise, Thalia will shoot me with lightning, and Lady Artemis isn't going to stop her."

"Just read it," Thalia said. "Training with Lady Artemis has helped a lot anyways."

**I looked at Thalia. "You're afraid of heights."**

**Now that we were safely down the mountain, her eyes had their usual angry look. "Don't be stupid."**

"**That explains why you freaked out on Apollo's bus. Why you didn't want to talk about it."**

**She took a deep breath. Then she brushed the pine needles out of her hair. "If you tell anyone, I swear-"**

"**No, no, "I said. "That's cool. It's just … the daughter of Zeus, the Lord of the Sky, afraid of heights?"**

Everyone remained silent, afraid of being blasted by Thalia.

**She was about to knock me into the snow when, above us, Grover's voice called, "Helloooooo?"**

"**Down here!" I shouted. **

**A few minutes later, Zoe, Bianca, and Grover joined us. We stood watching the wild boar struggle in the snow.**

"**A blessing of the Wild," Grover said, though he now looked agitated.**

"**I agree," Zoe said. "We must use it."**

"**Hold up," Thalia said irritably. She still looked like she'd just lost a fight with a Christmas tree. "Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing."**

"Thanks a lot for the description," Thalia said. "If I had a fight with a Christmas tree, I wouldn't lose."

**Grover looked over, distracted. "It's our ride west Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?"**

**He walked over to the boar and jumped onto its back. Grover took out his pipes. He started playing a snappy tune and tossed an apple in front of the boar. The apple floated and spun right above the boar's nose, and the boar went nuts, straining to get it.**

"**Automatic steering," Thalia murmured. "Great."**

**She trudged over and jumped on behind Grover, which still left plenty of room for the rest of us.**

**Zoe and Bianca walked toward the boar.**

"**Wait a second," I said. "Do you two know what Grover is talking about- this wild blessing?"  
**

"**Of course," Zoe said. "Did you not feel it in the wind? It was so strong … I never thought I would sense that presence again."**

"**What presence?"**

Annabeth face palmed.

**She stared at me like I was an idiot.**

Thalia laughed. "She probably did think so."

"**The Lord of the Wild, of course. Just for a moment, in the arrival of the boar, I felt the presence of Pan."**

"That's the end of the chapter," Grover said. "Who wants to read?"

"I'll read," Nico said.

Thalia, Percy, and Grover looked at each other.

"I don't think you should read this chapter Nico," Percy said softly.

"Just give it to me!" Nico snapped.


	14. We Visit The Junkyard Of The Gods

**We Visit the Junkyard Of The Gods**

"Alright, let's get on with this." Nico said.

**We rode the boar until sunset, which was about as much as my back end could take. **

**I have no idea how many miles we covered, but the mountains faded into the distance and were replaced by miles of flat, dry land. The grass and scrub brush got sparser until we were galloping (do boars gallop?) across the desert.**

Everyone laughed.

"This one can," Thalia said.

**As night fell, the boar came to a stop at a creek bed and snorted. He started drinking the muddy water, then ripped a saguaro cactus out of the ground and chewed it, needles and all.**

"**This is as far as he'll go," Grover said. "We need to get off while he's eating."**

**Nobody needed convincing. We slipped off the boar's back while he was busy ripping up cacti. Then we waddled away as best we could with our saddle sores.**

"I remember that," Grover said as he winced.

"I think we do too," Percy said.

**After its third saguaro and another drink of muddy water, the boar squealed and belched, then whirled around and galloped back toward the east.**

"**It likes the mountains better," I guessed.**

"**I can't blame it," Thalia said. "Look."**

**Ahead of us was a two-lane road half covered with sand. On the other side of the road was a cluster of buildings too small to be town: a boarded-up house, a taco shop that looked like it hadn't been open since before Zoe Nightshade was born, and a white stucco post office with a sign that said GILA CLAW, ARIZONA hanging crooked above the door. **

"Great way to describe the taco shop Percy," Annabeth mumbled.

"**Whoa," I said.**

"**Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," Thalia said. She looked at Grover. "I don't suppose you go another wild boar up your sleeve?"**

**Grover was sniffing the wind, looking nervous. He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to me, but Grover looked concerned.**

"**That's us," he said. "Those five nuts right there."**

"**Which one is me?" I asked.**

"**The little deformed one," Zoe suggested.**

"I agree with Zoe," Thalia said earning a glare from Percy.

"Whatever," Percy muttered.

"Aw look! I hurt Percy's feelings."

"**Oh, shut up."**

"You told Zoe to shut up?" Artemis asked.

Percy hesitated. "Yes?"

"I'm just surprised she didn't shoot you with an arrow, that's all." Artemis replied.

"Oh." Percy said.

"**That cluster right there," Grover said, pointing to the left, "that's trouble."**

"**A monster?" Thalia asked.**

**Grover looked uneasy. "I don't smell anything which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge …"**

**He pointed straight toward the junkyard. With the sunlight almost gone now, the hills of metal looked like something on an alien planet.**

**We decided to camp for the night and try the junkyard in the morning. None of us wanted to go Dumpster-driving in the dark.**

**Zoe and Bianca produced five sleeping bags and foam mattresses out of their backpacks. I don't know how they did it, because the packs were tiny, but must've been enchanted to hold so much stuff.**

Thalia nodded. "It's awesome. I can put all of my stuff in, including my band shirts."

"I need one of those," Nico said.

"Sorry," Artemis said. "Only for the Hunters."

**I'd noticed their bows and quivers were also magic. I never really thought about it, but when the Hunters needed them they just appeared slung over their backs. And when they didn't, they were gone.**

**The night got chilly fast, so Grover and I collected old boards from the ruined house, and Thalia zapped them with an electric shock to start a campfire. Pretty soon we were about as comfy as you can get in a rundown ghost town in the middle of nowhere.**

"**The stars are out," Zoe said.**

"She always loved the stars," Artemis said. "She would always sit out at night and watch the stars."

**She was right. There were millions of them, with no city lights to turn the sky orange.**

"**Amazing," Bianca said. "I've never actually seen the Milky Way."**

"**This is nothing," Zoe said. "In the old days, there were more. Whole constellations have disappeared because of human light pollution.**

"**You talk like you're not human," I said.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "She isn't! She's a nymph."

"I know that now," Percy said.

**Zoe raised an eyebrow. "I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"**

**Grover sighed. He was still looking up at the stars like he was thinking about the light pollution problem. "If only Pan was here, he would set thing right."**

**Zoe nodded sadly.**

"I can never fix this problem. Pan would be disappointed with me," Grover said.

"G-Man," Percy said. "You're doing a great job! Don't beat yourself up like that."

"**Maybe it was the coffee," Grover said. "I was drinking coffee, and the wind came. Maybe if I drank more coffee …"**

"**He sent us help," Grover insisted. "I don't know how or why. But it was his presence. After this quest is done, I'm going back to New Mexico and drinking a lot of coffee. It's the best lead we've gotten in two thousand years. I was so close."**

"You succeeded in the end Grover," Percy said while patting his best friend on the back. "We're all proud of you for that."

"**What I want to know," Thalia said, looking at Bianca, "is how you destroyed one of the zombies. There are a lot more out there somewhere. We need to figure out how to fight them."**

**Bianca shook her head. "I don't know. I just stabbed it and it went up in flames."**

"**Maybe there's something special about your knife," I said.**

"Not the knife, but here." Annabeth said. "Child of the Big Three."

"**It is the same as mine," Zoe said. "Celestial bronze, yes. But mine did not affect the warriors that way."**

"**Maybe you hit the skeleton in a certain spot," I said.**

**Bianca looked uncomfortable with everybody paying attention to her.**

"She doesn't like to be the center of attention," Nico said.

"**Never mind," Zoe told her. "We will fin the answer. In the meantime, we should plan our next move. When we get through this junkyard, we must continue west. If we can find a road, we can hitch hike to the nearest city. I think that would be Las Vegas."**

"I hated that place!" Nico said.

"Same!" Grover and Percy said at the same time.

**I was about to protest that Grover and I had had bad experiences in that town but Bianca beat us to it.**

"**No!" she said. "Not there!"**

**She looked really freaked out, like she'd just been dropped off the steep end of a roller coaster. **

**Zoe frowned. "Why?"**

**Bianca took a shaky breath. "I … I think we stayed there for a while. Nico and I. When we were traveling. And then, I can't remember …"**

**Suddenly I had a really bad thought. I remembered what Bianca had told me about Nico and her staying in a hotel for a while. I met Grover's eyes, and I got the feeling he was thinking the same thing.**

"Oh I was," Grover said.

"Thought so," Percy replied.**"**

"**Bianca," I said. "That hotel you stayed at. Was it possibly called the Lotus Hotel and Casino?"**

**Her eyes widened. "How could you know that?"**

"**Oh, great," I said.**

"**Wait," Thalia said. "What is the Lotus Casino?"**

"**A couple of years ago," I said, "Grover, Annabeth, and I got trapped there. It's designed so you never want to leave. We stayed for about an hour. When we came out, five days had passed. It makes time speed up."**

"**No," Bianca said. "No, that's not possible."**

"**You said somebody came and got you out," I remembered.**

"**Yes."**

"**What did he look like? What did he say?"**

"**I … I don't remember. Please, I really don't want to talk about this."**

"It wasn't dad," Nico said frowning. "It must have been somebody he sent."

"**Bianca," Zoe said, "Can you tell me the name of the president of the United States right now?"**

"**Don't be silly," Bianca said. She told us the correct name of the president.**

"**And who was the president before that?" Zoe asked.**

**Bianca thought for a while. "Roosevelt."**

**Zoe swallowed. "Theodore or Franklin?"**

"**Franklin," Bianca said. "F.D.R."**

"**Bianca," Zoe said. "F.D.R. was not the last president. That was about seventy years ago."**

"**That's impossible," Bianca said. "I … I'm not that old."**

**She stared at her hands as if to make sure they weren't wrinkled.**

**Thalia's eyes turned sad. I guess she knew what it was like to get pulled out of time for a while. "It's okay, Bianca. The important thing is you and Nico are safe. You made it out."**

"Yeah, being a tree was not fun at all." Thalia said.

Artemis gave her lieutenant a look of sympathy.

**The headlights of a car appeared out of nowhere. I was hoping it was Apollo, come to give us a chariot ride again, but the engine was way too silent for the sun chariot, and besides, it was nighttime. We grabbed our sleeping bags and got out of the way as a deathly white limousine slid to a stop in front of us.**

"Oh he can still drive the car during nighttime," Artemis said. "He just can't turn the headlights on."

**The back door of the limo opened right next to me. Before I could step away, the point of a sword touched my throat.**

**I heard the sound of Zoe and Bianca drawing their bows. As the owner of the sword got out of the car, I moved back very slowly. I had to, because he was pushing the point under my chin.**

**He smiled cruelly. "Not so fast now, are you punk?" **

"That's Ares for you," Artemis said.

**He was a big man with a crew cut a black leather biker's jacket, black jeans, a white muscle shirt, and combat boots. Wraparound shades hid his eyes, but I knew what was behind those glasses-hollow sockets filled with flames.**

"**Ares," I growled.**

**The war god glanced at my friends. "At ease, people." **

**He snapped his fingers, and their weapons fell to the ground.**

"Can you do that as well Lady Artemis?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes I can," Artemis said. "Would you like a demonstration?"

"No thanks," everyone else mumbled.

"**This is a friendly meeting." He dug the point of his blade a little farther under my chin. "Of course I'd like to take your head for a trophy, but someone wants to see you. And I never behead my enemies in front of a lady."**

"**What lady?" Thalia asked.**

"**Oh I don't she wants to meet the rest of you. Particularly not them." He jutted his chin toward Zoe and Bianca.**

"Of course," Thalia said. "Aphrodite does not like us very much."

"You think?" Nico said.

"**Get inside, punk," he said. "And mind your manners. She's not as forgiving of rudeness as I am."**

"I think Lady Artemis is the most unforgiving when it comes to rudeness," Thalia said.

Artemis just shrugged and gestured for Nico to continue reading.

**When I saw her, my jaw dropped.**

**I forgot my name. I forgot where I was. I forgot how to speak in complete sentences.**

**She was wearing a red satin dress and her hair was curled in a cascade of ringlets. Her face was the most beautiful I'd ever seen: perfect makeup, dazzling eyes, a smile that would've lit up the dark side of the moon.**

**Thinking back on it, I can't tell you who she looked like. Or even what color her hair or her eyes were. Pick the most beautiful actress you can think of. The goddess was ten times more beautiful than that. Pick your favorite hair, eye color, whatever. The goddess had that. **

"Aphrodite looks like whatever you think is beautiful or whoever you love or like," Annabeth said.

**When she smiled at me, just for a moment she looked a little like Annabeth. Then like this television actress I used to have a crush on in fifth grade. Then … well, you get the idea.**

"Awwwwww!" Rachel said. "He already had a crush on you then! And that was like four years ago?"

Percy was blushing like crazy, while Annabeth couldn't help but have a big smile on her face.

"**Ah, there you are, Percy," the goddess said. "I am Aphrodite."**

**I slipped into the seat across from her and said something like, "Um uh gah."**

**She smiled. "Aren't you sweet. Hold this, please."**

**She handed me a polished mirror the size of a dinner plate and had me hold it up for her. She leaned forward and dabbed at her lipstick, though I couldn't see anything wrong with it.**

"Tell me about it," Artemis said.

"**Do you know why you're here?" she asked.**

**I wanted to respond. Why couldn't I form a complete sentence? She was only a lady. A seriously beautiful lady. With eyes like pools of spring water … Whoa. **

**I pinched my own arm, hard.**

"Aphrodite tends to do that," Artemis said. "She charms every male into falling in love with her. Some of her daughters can do that as well."

"**I … I don't know," I managed.**

"**Oh, dear," Aphrodite said. "Still in denial?"**

**Outside the car, I could hear Ares chuckling. I had a feeling he could hear every word we said. The idea of him being out there made me angry, and that helped clear my mind.**

"I'm going to remember that," Nico said.

"Why?" Percy asked.

"So I don't get charmed by the love goddess, or one of her daughters." Nico replied.

"**I don't know what you're talking about," I said. **

"**Well then why are you on this quest?"**

"**Artemis has been captured!"**

**Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh, Artemis. Please. Talk about a hopeless case. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. Bo-ring!"**

Artemis growled.

"Lady Artemis, you're breathtakingly beautiful," Grover said dreamily.

For a minute, Artemis's eyes glowed silver. Everyone shrunk away in fear, especially Grover, who whimpered in fear. After a couple seconds, the goddess's eyes returned to their normal silver-yellow color.

"Thank you Grover."

Grover merely nodded, while the rest of the group laughed.

"**But she was chasing a monster," I protested. "A really, really bad monster. We have to find it!"**

"Percy, you sound like a third grader." Thalia said.

**Aphrodite made me hold the mirror a little higher. She seemed to have found a microscopic problem at the corner of her eye and dabbed at her mascara. "Always some monster. But my dear Percy, that is why the others are on this quest. I'm more interested in you."**

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Of course, everything is about love." she said sarcastically.

**My heart pounded. I didn't want to answer, but her eyes drew an answer right out of my mouth. "Annabeth is in trouble."**

**Aphrodite beamed. "Exactly!"**

"**I have to help her," I said. "I've been having these dreams."**

"**Ah, you even dream about her! That's so cute!"**

Percy was completely red, while Annabeth just beamed at him.

"**No! I mean … that's not what I meant."**

**She made a tsk-tsk sound. "Percy, I'm on your side. I'm the reason you're here after all."**

**I stared at her. "What?"**

"**The poisoned T-shirt the Stoll brothers gave Phoebe," she said. "Did you think that was an accident? Sending Blackjack to find you? Helping you sneak out of the camp?**

"**You did that?"**

"**Of course! Because really, how boring these Hunters are! A quest for some monster, blah blah blah. Save Artemis. Let her stay lost, I say. But a quest for true love-"**

Artemis growled. "That pathetic drama queen, next time I see her she'll look far worse than Hephaestus."

Everyone else shuddered at the thought of what Artemis would do to Aphrodite.

"**Wait a second, I never said-"**

"**Oh, my dear. You don't need to say it. You do know Annabeth was close to joining the Hunters, don't you?"  
**

**I blushed. "I wasn't sure-"**

"**She was about to throw her life away! And you, my dear, you can save her from that. It's so romantic!"**

"Throw. Her. Life. Away?" Artemis said, her eyes glowing brighter as she said each word.

Thalia tried desperately to calm her mistress down before she disintegrated all those who were around her.

"That's right Artemis," Aphrodite said appearing suddenly in a pink light.

"Aphrodite," Artemis spat. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing, just visiting my favorite couple of all time." Aphrodite replied.

"**Now listen, Percy," Aphrodite said. "The Hunters are your enemies. Forget them and Artemis and the monster. That's not important. You just concentrate on finding and saving Annabeth."  
**

"**Do you know where she is?"**

**Aphrodite waved her hand irritably. "No, no. I leave the details to you. But it's been ages since we've had a good tragic love story."**

"And guess where that brought us," Artemis said.

"**Whoa, first of all, I never said anything about love. And second, what's up with tragic?"**

"**Love conquers all," Aphrodite promised. "Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?"**

"**Didn't they start the Trojan War and get thousands of people killed?"**

"Wow, I'm surprised kelp for brains here knows what the Trojan War is," Thalia said.

Annabeth laughed. "That's so true."

"Hey!" Percy protested.

"**Pfft. That's not the point. Follow your heart."**

"**But … I don't know where it's going. My heart, I mean."  
**

**She smiled sympathetically. She was beautiful. And not just because she had a pretty face or anything. She believed in love so much, it was impossible not to feel giddy when she talked about it.**

"Awww, thanks Percy." Aphrodite said, while checking her nails.

"**Not knowing is half the fun," Aphrodite said. "Exquisitely painful, isn't it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you? Oh, you kids! It's so cute I'm going to cry."**

"**No, no," I said. "Don't do that."**

"Oh please," Artemis said. "She cries when one of her nails aren't perfect."

"Artemis, you really need to find a man and get laid." Aphrodite said. "If only your stupid brother didn't interfere. I didn't even have to do anything about it."

"Aphrodite, there's a reason why I made my oath after Orion's death," Artemis replied. Her moon-like orbs were starting to become misty.

"**And don't worry," she said. "I'm not going to let this be easy and boring for you. No, I have some wonderful surprises in store. Anguish. Indecision. Oh, you just wait."**

"Aphrodite, let one person escape your torture," Artemis said.

"**That's really okay," I told her. "Don't go to any trouble."**

"**You're so cute. I wish all my daughters could break the heart of a boy as nice as you." Aphrodite's eyes were tearing up. "Now, you'd better go. And do be careful in my husband's territory, Percy. Don't take anything. He is awfully fussy about his trinkets and trash."**

"**What?" I asked. "You mean Hephaestus?"**

"I still can't believe you're the goddess of love when you cheat on your husband all the time," Artemis said.

"I'm not Hera," Aphrodite replied.

**But the car door opened and Ares grabbed my shoulder, pulling me out of the car and back into the desert night. **

**My audience with the goddess of love was over.**

"Oh right, I have a date with Ares right now." Aphrodite said. "Percy and Annabeth, I've still got lots of surprises for you! Anyways got to go now!"

Percy and Annabeth groaned, while Aphrodite disappeared again, in a pink light.

"I'm glad she's gone," Thalia said.

Artemis nodded.

"**You're lucky, punk." Ares pushed me away from the limo. "Be grateful." **

"**For what?"**

"**That we're being so nice. If it was up to me-"**

"**So why haven't you killed me?" I shot back. It was a stupid thing to say to the god of war, but being around him always made me angry and reckless.**

**Ares nodded, like I'd finally said something intelligent.**

"**I'd love to kill you, seriously," he said. "But see, I got a situation. Word on Olympus is that you might start the biggest war in history. I can't risk messing that up. Besides, Aphrodite thinks you're some kinda soap-opera star or something. I kill you, that makes me look bad with her."**

"Wow she does don't she?" Rachel said.

**I balled my fists. "Why wait? I beat you once. How's that ankle healing up?"**

**He grinned crookedly. "Not bad, punk. But you got nothing on the master of taunts. I'll start the fight when I'm good and ready. Until then … Get lost."**

**He snapped his fingers and the world did a three-sixty, spinning in a cloud of red dust. I fell to the ground. **

**When I stood up again, the limousine was gone. My friends and I were standing in the middle of the junkyard, mountains of scrap metal stretched out in every direction.**

"**What did she want with you? Bianca asked, once I'd told them about Aphrodite.**

"**Oh, uh, not sure," I lied. "She said to be careful in her husband's junkyard. She said not to pick anything up."**

**Zoe narrowed her eyes. "The goddess of love would not make a special trip to tell thee that. Be careful, Percy. Aphrodite has led many heroes astray."**

"Definitely," Annabeth said.

"**For once I agree with Zoe," Thalia said. "You can't trust Aphrodite."**

"**How do we get out of here?"**

"**That way," Zoe said. "That is west."**

"**How can you tell?"**

Annabeth shook her head. "Did you just doubt a hunter? Especially when it's Zoe Nightshade?"

"Maybe?" Percy said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"**Ursa Major is in the north," she said, "Which means that must be west."**

**She pointed west, then at the northern constellation, which was hard to make out because there were so many other stars.**

"**Oh, yeah," I said. "The bear thing."**

**Zoe looked offended. "Show some respect. It was a bear. A worthy opponent."**

"**You act like it was real."**

"**Guys," Grover broke in. "Look!"**

**We'd reached the crest of a junk mountain. Piles of metal objects glinted in the moonlight: broken heads of bronze horses, metal legs from human statues, smashed chariots, tons of shields and swords and other weapons, along with more modern stuff, like cars that gleamed gold and silver, refrigerators, washing machines, and computer monitors.**

"The gold cars used to belong to Helios, and the silver ones belonged to Semele" Annabeth said.

"**Whoa," Bianca said. "That stuff … some of it looks like real gold."**

"**It is," Thalia said grimly. "Like Percy said, don't touch anything. This is the junkyard of the gods."**

"**Look!" Bianca said. She raced down the hill, tripping over bronze coils and golden plates. She picked up a bow that glowed silver in moonlight. "A Hunter's bow!"  
**

**She yelped in surprise as the bow began to shrink, and became a hair clip shaped like a crescent moon. "It's just like Percy's sword!" **

**Zoe's face was grim. "Leave it, Bianca."**

"Now do you understand why?" Artemis asked.

Percy nodded his head slowly.

"**But-"**

"**It is here for a reason. Anything thrown away in this junkyard must stay in this yard. It is defective. Or cursed."**

"The junkyard of the Gods is one of the only places that the Hermes kids don't steal from," Annabeth said.

**Bianca reluctantly set the hair clip down.**

"**I don't like this place," Thalia said. She gripped the shaft of her spear.**

"**You think we're going to get attacked by killer refrigerators?" I asked.**

"Wow Percy, really?" Rachel muttered earning a glare from Percy.

"You know Percy, you should just give up because your glares will never be as intimidating or as scary as Thalia's," Rachel said.

Thalia stuck her tongue out at Percy, while he just groaned.

**She gave me a hard look. "Zoe is right, Percy. Things get thrown away here for a reason. Now come on, let's get across the yard."**

"**That's the second time you've agreed with Zoe," I muttered, but Thalia ignored me.**

Annabeth face palmed. "Percy, I'm surprised that Thalia didn't fry your brains."

**We started picking our way through the hills and valleys of junk. The stuff seemed to go on forever, and if it hadn't been for Ursa Major, we would've gotten lost. All the hills pretty much looked the same.**

"I'm surprised you remember the name of the constellation," Annabeth said.

"I may not be a child of Athena, but I'm not exactly stupid you know," Percy replied.

**I'd like to say we left the stuff alone, but there was too much cool junk not to check out some of it. I found an electric guitar shaped like Apollo's lyre that was so sweet I had to pick it up.**

"You really thought that guitar was cool?" Artemis asked. "It sounds horrible!"

**Finally, we saw the edge of the junkyard about half a mile ahead of us, the lights of a highway stretching through the desert. But between us and the road …**

"**What is that?" Bianca gasped.**

**Ahead of us was a hill much bigger and longer than the others. It was like a metal mesa, the length of a football field and as tall as goalposts. At one end of the mesa was a row of ten thick metal columns, wedged tightly together. **

**Bianca frowned. "They look like-"**

"**Toes," Grover said.**

**Bianca nodded. "Really, really large toes."**

**Zoe and Thalia exchanged nervous looks.**

"**Let's go around," Thalia said. "Far around."**

"**But the road is right over there," I protested. "Quicker to climb over."**

Thalia and Percy bowed their hands at the memory of what was going to happen next. Nico seemed to sense it as well, because he was shaking uncontrollably.

"**Come on." Thalia looked at me. "Around."**

**I didn't argue. The toes were starting to freak me out, too. I mean, who sculpts ten-foot-tall metal toes and sticks them in a junkyard?**

"Hephaestus," Artemis said, beating Annabeth by a millisecond.

**After several minutes of walking, we finally stepped onto the highway, an abandoned but well-lit stretch of black asphalt.**

"**We made it out," Zoe said. "Thank the gods."**

**But apparently the gods didn't want to be thanked. At that moment, I heard a sound like a thousand trash compactors crushing metal**

**I whirled around. Behind us, the scrap mountain was boiling, rising up. The ten toes tilted over, and I realized why they looked like toes. They were toes. The thing that rose up from the metal was a bronze giant in full Greek battle armor. He was impossibly tall-a skyscraper with legs and arms.**

"Lovely imagination," Annabeth said.

**He looked down at us, and his face was deformed. The left side was partially melted off. His joints creaked with rust, and across his armored chest, written in thick dust by some giant finger, were the words WASH ME.**

"**Talos!" Zoe gasped.**

"**Someone took something," Zoe said. "Who took something?"**

**She stared accusingly at me.**

"She tends to do that," Artemis said. "She doesn't trust males, not after what happened with Hercules."

**I shook my head. "I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a thief."**

**Bianca didn't say anything. I could swear she looked guilty, but I didn't have much time to think about it, because the giant defective Talos took one step toward us, closing half the distance and making the ground shake.**

"**Run!" Grover yelped. **

**Great advice, except that it was hopeless. **

"Thanks Percy," Grover said.

**We split up, the way we'd done with the Nemean Lion. Thalia drew her shield and held it up as she ran down the highway. The giant swung his sword and took out a row of power lines, which exploded in sparks and scattered across Thalia's path.**

**Zoe's arrows whistled toward the creature's face but shattered harmlessly against the metal. **

**Bianca and I ended up next to each other, hiding behind a broken chariot.**

"**You took something," I said. "That bow."**

"**No!" she said, but her voice was quivering.**

"**Give it back! I said. "Throw it down!"**

"**I … I didn't take the bow! Besides, it's too late."**

"**Move!" I tore down the hill, Bianca right behind me, as he giant's foot smashed a crater in the ground where we'd been hiding.**

"**Come on!" I told Bianca. But she stayed frozen. From her pocket, she brought out a small metal figurine, a statue of a god. "It … it was for Nico. It was the only statue he didn't have."**

Nico sighed. "If only she didn't."

"**How can you think of Mythomagic at a time like this?" I said.**

**There were tears in her eyes.**

"**Throw it down," I said. "Maybe the giant will leave us alone."**

"No point," Annabeth said.

**She dropped it reluctantly, but nothing happened. **

**The giant kept coming after Grover. It stabbed its sword into a junk hill, missing Grover by a few feet, but scrap metal made an avalanche over him, and then I couldn't see him anymore.**

"You know, that place would've been like paradise for us satyrs, if only it wasn't cursed." Grover said.

"**No!" Thalia yelled. She pointed her spear, and a blue arc of lightning shot out, hitting the monster in his rusty knee, which buckled. The giant collapsed, but immediately started to rise again. **

**He raised his foot to stomp and I saw that his sole was treaded like the bottom of a sneaker. There was a hole in his hell, like a large manhole, and there were red words painted around it, which I deciphered only after the foot came down: FOR MAINTENANCE ONLY.**

"**Crazy-idea time," I said.**

"Wow, kelp for brains actually had a plan," Thalia said.

"Well it worked," Percy replied.

"Yeah, it totally did." Nico said glumly.

**Bianca looked at me nervously. "Anything."  
**

**I told her about the maintenance hatch. "There may be a way to control the thing. Switches or something. I'm going to get inside."**

"**How? You'll have to stand under its foot! You'll be crushed."**

"**Distract it," I said. "I'll just have to time it right."**

**Bianca's jaw tightened. "No. I'll go."**

"**You can't. You're new at this! You'll die."**

"**It's my fault the monster came after us," she said. It's my responsibility. Here." She picked up the little god statue and pressed it into my hand. "If anything happens, give that to Nico. Tell him … tell him I'm sorry."**

"All is forgiven, Bianca." Nico said softly.

Everyone looked at him sympathetically, even Artemis.

"**Bianca, no!"**

**But she wasn't waiting for me. She charged at the monster's left foot.**

**Bianca got right next to the giant's foot, trying to balance herself on the metal scraps that swayed and shifted with his weight.**

**Zoe yelled, "What are you doing?"**

"**Get it to raise its foot!" she said.**

"**Hey, Junk Boy!" I yelled. "Down here."**

**I ran up its big toe and stabbed it with Riptide. The magic blad cut a gash in the bronze.**

**Unfortunately, my plan worked. Talos looked down at me and raised his foot to squash me like a bug. I didn't see what Bianca was doing. I had to turn and run. The foot came down about two inches behind me and I was knocked into the air.**

"Thanks G-Man," Percy said.

"No probs."

**The monster was about to finish me off, but Grover somehow dug himself out of the junk pile. He played his pipes frantically, and his music sent another power line pole whacking against Talos's thigh. The monster turned. Grover should've run, but he must've bee too exhausted from the effort of so much magic. He took two steps, fell, and didn't get back up.**

"**Grover!" Thalia and I both ran toward him, but I knew we'd be too late.**

"Way to think positively," Thalia said sarcastically.

**The monster raised his sword to smash Grover. Then he froze.**

**Talos cocked his head to one side, like he was hearing strange new music. He started moving his arms and legs in weird ways, doing the Funky Chicken. Then he made a fist and punched himself in the face.**

"The Funky Chicken?" Artemis asked. "Ugh, it must be another one of the stupid creations of Apollo."

"**Go Bianca!" I yelled.**

**Zoe looked horrified. "She is inside?"**

**The monster staggered around, and I realized we were still in danger. Thalia and I grabbed Grover and ran with him toward the highway. Zoe was already ahead of us. She yelled, "How will Bianca get out?"**

**The giant hit itself in the head again and dropped his sword. A shudder ran through his whole body and he staggered toward the power lines. **

"**Look out!" I yelled, but it was too late. **

**The giant's ankle snared the lines, and blue flickers of electricity shot up his body. I hoped the inside was insulated. I had no idea what was going on in there. The giant careened back into the junkyard, and is right hand fell off, landing in the scrap metal with a horrible CLANG!**

**The giant crumbled from the top down: his head, his chest, and finally, his legs collapsed. When we reached the wreckage we searched frantically, yelling Bianca's name. We crawled around in the vast hollow pieces and the legs and the head. We searched until the sun started to rise, but no luck.**

**Zoe sat down and wept. I was stunned to see her cry.**

"You think of that at such a time?" Artemis questioned.

**Thalia yelled in rage and impaled her sword in the giant's smashed face.**

"**We can keep searching," I sad. "It's light now. We'll find her."**

"**No we won't," Grover said miserably. "It happened just as it was supposed to."**

"**What are you talking about?" I demanded.**

**He looked up at me with big watery eyes. "The prophecy. **_**One shall be lost in the land without rain."**_

"**Why hadn't I seen it? Why had I let her go instead of me?"**

"It's not your fault Percy, or yours even Lady Artemis." Nico said. "I shouldn't have held grudges against both of you."

**Here we were in the desert. And Bianca di Angelo was gone.**

"Thalia, I believe this a special chapter for you." Nico said, handing the book to Thalia.

Thalia shrugged. "Sure, why not."

* * *

**It's been a while since I've updated. I have to say I'm really sorry to all of you for the long wait, but I've been so busy lately. Tests, homework, and sadly, also my dad's death anniversary. Hopefully I'll have time to get another chapter done this weekend. Oh and I have thought about Nico bringing Bianca back from the Underworld to Camp Half-Blood but I decided not to because it would be too complicated, and out of hand. Again, apologies to anyone who I have disappointed. Remember to R&R!**


	15. I Have A Dam Problem

**Thanks to Dusty5454, who pointed out a mistake I had last chapter. The moon goddess is Selene, not Semele. Semele is the mother of Dionysus. Sorry about that error. Anyways, on with the story.**

* * *

**I Have A Dam Problem**

"You know Percy, you should really watch your language." Thalia said.

Percy scoffed. "And you're the one who's talking. What happened to the rebellious punk we knew?"

Thalia's eyes flashed dangerously. "Training with Lady Artemis has taught me many things."

"Can we move on now?" Lady Artemis asked.

Thalia nodded and began to read.

**At the edge of the dump, we found a tow truck so old it might've been thrown away itself. But the engine started, and it had a full tank of gas, so we decided to borrow it.**

**Thalia drove. She didn't seemed as stunned as Zoe or Grover or me.**

"**The skeletons are still out there," she reminded us. "We need to keep moving."**

"Oh right," Nico said. "Forgot about that."

**She navigated us through the desert, under clear blue skies, the sand so bright I hurt to look at. The air was cool and dry, but the nice weather just seemed like an insult after losing Bianca.**

"I remember my Uncle, Hades being very mad at father. Father was quite happy that a child of one his other brothers were dead. He despises them." Artemis said.

"You're telling us?" Nico grumbled.

"That totally explains the good weather," Percy muttered.

**My hand closed around the little figurine that had cost her life. I still could've even tell what god it was supposed to be. Nico would know.**

**Oh, gods … what was I going to tell Nico?**

"**It should've been me," I said. "I should've gone into the giant."**

"**Don't say that!" Grover panicked. "It's bad enough Annabeth is gone, and now Bianca. Do you think I could stand it if …" He sniffled. "Do you think anybody would be my best friend?"**

"Grover," Annabeth said, while giving him a hug.

"Thanks a bunch for caring," Thalia said.

"Thalia! You know I care!" Grover was starting to grovel now.

Thalia laughed. "I'm joking Grover, no need to beg for forgiveness."

**He wiped under his eyes with an oily cloth that left his face grimy, like he had on war paint. "I'm … I'm okay."**

**But he wasn't okay. Ever since the encounter in New Mexico-whatever had happened when that wild wind blew through-he seemed really fragile, even more emotional than usual. I was afraid to talk to him about it, because he might start bawling.**

**The tow truck ran out of gas at the edge of a river canyon. That was just as well, because the road dead-ended.**

**Thalia got out and slammed the door. Immediately one of the tires blew. "Great. What now?"**

"You were saying Thalia?" Rachel said. "Anger management problems. Do you need a counselor or something?"

Everyone looked at Artemis for help in case they all got struck by lightning. Thalia was shaking visibly with anger. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

"Rachel, I suggest you never comment about Thalia's um … let's just say that next time you won't be so lucky." Artemis said.

Rachel straightened up when being addressed by the goddess.

"Yes si-!"

Artemis's eyes glowed silver.

"Uh … I mean madam!" Rachel said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Rachel, I cannot believe you were about to call the patron goddess of all maidens, the one who detests men the most sir!"

**I scanned the horizon. There wasn't much to see. Desert in all directions, occasional clumps of barren mountains plopped here and there. The canyon was the only thing interesting. The river itself wasn't very big, maybe fifty yards across, green water with a few rapids, but it carved a huge scar out of the desert. The rock cliffs dropped away below us.**

"**There's a path," Grover said. "We could get to the river."**

**I tried to see what he was talking about, and finally noticed a tiny ledge winding down the cliff face "That's a goat path," I said.**

"**So?" he asked.**

"**The rest of us aren't goats."**

Everyone laughed, except Grover.

"**We can make it," Grover said. "I think."  
**

**I thought about that. I'd done cliffs before, but I didn't like them. Then I looked over at Thalia and saw how pale she'd gotten. Her problem with heights … she'd never be able to do it.**

"**No," I said. "I, uh, think we should go farther upstream."**

**Grover said, "But-"**

"**Come on," I said. "A walk won't hurt us."**

**I glanced at Thalia. Her eyes said a quick Thank you.**

"Her eyes tend to do that," Annabeth said. "They communicate to you in some sort of way. It's actually very interesting."

**We followed the river about half a mile before coming to an easier slope that led down to the water. On the shore was a canoe rental operation that was closed for the season, but I left a stack of golden drachmas on the counter and a note saying IOU two canoes.**

"**We need to go upstream," Zoe said. It was the first time I'd heard her speak since the junkyard, and I was worried about how bad she sounded, like somebody with the flu. "The rapids are too swift."**

"**Leave that to me," I said. We put the canoes in the water. **

"Arrogant," Nico said.

**Thalia pulled me aside as we were getting the oars. "Thanks for back there."**

"**Don't mention it."**

"**Can you really …" She nodded to the rapids. "You know."**

"**I think so. Usually I'm good with water."**

"**Would you take Zoe?" she asked. "I think, ah, maybe you can talk to her."**

"**She's not going to like that."**

Artemis nodded her head in agreement. "Not at all."

"**Please? I don't know if I can stand being in the same boat with her. She's … starting to worry me."**

**Thalia's shoulders relaxed. "I owe you one."**

"**Two."**

"**One and a half," Thalia said.**

**She smiled, and for a second, I remembered that I actually liker her when she wasn't yelling at me. **

"Glad to know," Thalia said, smirking.

**She turned and helped Grover get their canoe into the water.**

**As it turned out, I didn't need to control the currents. As soon as we got in the river, I looked over the edge of the boat and found a couple of naiads staring at me. **

**They looked like regular teenage girls, the kind you'd see in any mall, except for that they were underwater.**

**Hey, I said.**

**They made a bubbling sound that may have been giggling. I wasn't sure. I had a hard time understanding naiads.**

"Join the club," Thalia said.

**We're heading upstream I told them. Do you think you could-**

**Before I could even finish, the naiads each chose a canoe and began pushing us up the river. Wes started so fast Grover fell into his canoe with is hooves sticking up in the air.**

"You know that was pretty funny G-Man," Percy said.

"Yeah, whatever you think," Grover replied.

"**I hate naiads," Zoe grumbled.**

**A stream of water squirted up from the back of the boat and hit Zoe in the face.**

"**She-devils!" Zoe went for her bow.**

"**Whoa," I said. "They're just playing."**

"**Cursed water spirits. They've never forgiven me."**

"**Forgiven you for what?"**

Annabeth sighed. "Seaweed brain, did you really have to ask?"

**She slung her bow back over her shoulder. "It was a long time ago. Never mind."**

**We sped up the river, the cliffs looming up on either side of us.**

"**What happened to Bianca wasn't your fault," I told her. "It was my fault. I let her go."**

**I figured this would give Zoe an excuse to start yelling at me. At least that might shake her out of feeling depressed.**

**Instead, her shoulders slumped. "No, Percy. I pushed her into going on the quest. I was too anxious. She was a powerful half-blood. She had a kind heart, as well. I … I though she would be the next lieutenant."**

"**But you're the lieutenant."**

**She gripped the strap of her quiver. She looked more tired than I'd ever seen her. "Nothing can last forever, Percy. Over two thousand years I have led the Hunt, and my wisdom has not improved. Now Artemis herself is in danger."**

"She knew she was going to die," Annabeth said quietly. "She's looking at potential candidates to take her place."

"**Look, you can't blame yourself for that."**

"**If I had insisted on going with her-"**

"**You think you could've fought something powerful enough to kidnap Artemis? There's nothing you could have done."**

"Very true Perseus," Artemis said.

**Zoe didn't answer.**

**Without thinking about it, I took Riptide out of my pocket. Zoe looked at the pen, and her expression was pained.**

"**You made this," I said.**

"**Who told thee?"**

"**I had a dream about it."  
**

**She studied me. I was sure she was going to call me crazy, but she just sighed. "It was a gift. And a mistake."**

"**Who was the hero?" I asked.**

**Zoe shook her head. "Do not make me say his name. I swore never to speak it again."**

"**You act like I should know him."**

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Well of course you should."

"**I am sure you do, hero. Don't all you boys want to be just like him?"**

"Hercules I'm guessing," Rachel said.

"Yeah," Percy sighed.

**Her voice was so bitter, I decided not to ask what she meant. I looked down at Riptide, and for the first time, I wondered if it was cursed.**

"Don't worry Percy, it isn't. Zoe would never curse anyone. Only Ares has cursed you." Artemis said.

"**Your mother was a water goddess?" I asked.**

"**Yes. Pleione. She had five daughters. My sisters and I. The Hesperides."**

"**Those were the girls who lived in a garden at the edge of the West. With the golden apple tree and a dragon guarding it."**

"**Yes," Zoe said wistfully. "Ladon."**

"**But weren't there only four sisters?"**

"**There are now. I was exiled. Forgotten. Blotted out as if I never existed."**

"**Why?"**

**Zoe pointed to my pen. "Because I betrayed my family and helped a hero. You won't find that in the legend either. He never spoke of me. After his direct assault on Ladon failed, I gave him the idea of how to steal the apples, how to trick my father, but he took all the credit."**

"It was a plan worthy of Athena," Annabeth said.

"**But-"**

**Gurgle, gurgle, the naiad spoke in my mind. The canoe was slowing down. **

**I looked ahead, and I saw why.**

**This was as far as they could take us. The river was blocked. A dam the size of a football stadium stood in our path.**

"**Hoover Dam" Thalia said. "It's huge."**

**We stood at the river's edge, looking up at a curve of concrete that loomed between the cliffs. People were walking along ht top of the dam. They were so tiny they looked like fleas.**

**The naiads had left with a lot of grumbling-not in words I could understand, but it was obvious they hated this dam blocking their nice river. Our canoes floated back downstream, swirling in the wake of the dam's discharge vents.**

"**Seven hundred feet tall," I said. "Built in the 1930s."**

"Wow Percy, I'm surprised you remembered." Annabeth said, smiling proudly.

"**Five million cubic acres of water," Thalia said.**

**Grover sighed. "Largest construction project in the United States."**

**Zoe stared at us. "How do you know all that?"**

"**Annabeth," I said. "She liked architecture"**

"Liked?" Grover said. "Understatement."

"**She was nuts about monuments," Thalia said.**

"**Sprouted facts all the time." Grover sniffled. "So annoying."**

"Thanks a lot Grover!" Annabeth yelled.

"Sorry," Grover whimpered.

"**I wish she were here," I said.**

**The others nodded. Zoe was still looking at us strangely, but I didn't care. It seemed like cruel fate that we'd come to Hoover Dam, one of Annabeth's personal favorites, and she wasn't here to see it.**

"What are your favorites?" Rachel asked.

Grover, Thalia, and Percy groaned.

"You just had to ask that didn't you?" Nico said.

"Well … yeah?" Rachel replied.

"I have a lot of favorites, but I love the Parthenon the most." Annabeth said.

"Figures, I can see why." Rachel said.

"Mommy's girl," Nico muttered.

Unfortunately for him, Annabeth heard, and gave him a glare equally as scary as Thalia's with her stern, stormy grey eyes. It was like they were piercing through his soul, ironic for a child of Hades.

"**You are mad," Zoe decided. "But that's where the road is." She pointed to a huge parking garage next to the top of the dam. "And so, sightseeing it is."**

**We had to walk for almost an hour before we found a path that led up to the road.**

**Thalia walked in the middle of the road, far away form the edges. Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking nervous. He didn't say anything, but I knew he smelled monsters. **

"**How close are they?" I asked him.**

**He shook his head. "Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us … the scent can probably carry for miles. But it's coming from several directions. I don't like that."**

**I didn't either. It was already Wednesday, only two days until winter solstice, and we still had a long way to go. We didn't need any more monsters. **

"Totally agree," Thalia said.

"**There's a snack bar in the visitor center," Thalia said.**

"**You've been there before?" I asked.**

"**Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. They looked kind of like Oscar statues with wings.**

"**They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia said. "A gift from Athena."**

"Father liked it," Artemis said.

**Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet.**

"**What are they doing?" I asked.**

"**Rubbing the toes," Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."**

"**Why?"**

**She shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."**

"Mortals come up with crazy ideas all thanks to Hermes," Artemis said.

"**Let us find the dam snack bar," Zoe said. "We should eat while we can."  
**

**Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"**

Everyone laughed at that.

**Zoe blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"**

"**Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam French fries."**

**Even Thalia smiled at that. "And I need to use the dam restroom."**

"Way to abuse the joke," Nico said.

**I busted up, and I probably would've kept laughing all day, but then I heard a noise:**

"**Mooooo."**

**The smile melted off my face. I wondered if the noise was just in my head, but Grover stopped laughing too. He was looking around, confused. "Did I just hear a cow?"**

"**A dam cow?" Thalia laughed.**

"**No," Grover said. "I'm serious."**

**Zoe listened. "I hear nothing."**

**Thalia was looking at me. "Percy, are you okay?"**

"**Yeah," I said. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right in."**

"Percy, it is not wise to keep the Ophiotaurus a secret." Annabeth said.

"Well I'm sorry," Percy replied. "I thought it was just a harmless cow."

"**What's wrong?" Grover asked.**

"**Nothing," I said. "I … I just need a minute. To think."**

**They hesitated, but I guess I must've looked upset, because they finally went into the visitor center without me. As soon as they were gone, I jogged to the north edge of the dam and looked over.**

"Yeah," Thalia said. "You did look very upset. I thought you were going to explode into tears or something."

"**Moo."**

**She was about thirty feet below in the lake, but I could see her clearly: my friend from Long Island Sound, Bessie the cow serpent.**

"You know, I still can't get over the fact that you named the Ophiotaurus Bessie," Artemis said. "Why did you think it was a girl anyways?"

"I … I don't know," Percy stammered.

"It's because his brain is full of kelp," Thalia said.

"**What are you doing here?" I asked her.**

"**Moo!"**

**Her voice was urgent, like she was trying to warn me of something. **

"**How did you get here?" I asked. We were thousand of miles from Long Island, hundreds of miles inland. There was no way she could've swum all the way here. And yet, here she was.**

**Bessie swam in a circle and butted her head against the side of the dam. "Moo!"**

**She wanted me to come with her. She was telling me to hurry.**

"**I can't," I told her. "My friends are inside."**

**She looked at me with her sad brown eyes. Then she gave one more urgent "Mooo!," did a flip, and disappeared into the water.**

**I hesitated. Something was wrong. She was trying to tell me that. **

"Awwww," Thalia said. "Percy's guardian angel!"

"Thalia!" Percy yelled.

**I looked down the dam road to the east and I saw two men walking slowly toward me. They wore gray camouflage outfits that flickered over skeletal bodies.**

**I ran for the visitor center.**

**I was almost to the stairs when I heard tires squeal. On the west side of the dam, a black van swerved to a stop in the middle of the road, nearly plowing into some old people.**

**The van doors opened and more skeleton warriors piled out. I was surrounded.**

"I told you all that it would be really bad!" Grover said. "See, I was right!"

"Unfortunately you were right," Percy said.

**I bolted down the stairs and through the museum entrance. The security guard at the metal detector yelled, "Hey, kid!" But I didn't stop.**

**I ran through the exhibits and ducked behind a tour group. I looked for my friends, but I couldn't see them anywhere. Where was the dam snack bar?**

"**Stop!" The metal-detector guy yelled.**

**There was no place to go but into an elevator with the tour group. I ducked inside just as the door closed.**

"**We'll be going down seven hundred feet," our tour guide said cheerfully.**

"**Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, the elevator hardly ever breaks."**

"**Does this go to the snack bar?" I asked her.**

"Are you sure it was a her?" Nico asked while snickering. "I mean, you did call the Ophiotaurus a she."

Everyone laughed, while Percy's face glowed red.

"Just … just shut up Nico!" Percy said.

**A few people behind me chuckled. The tour guide looked at me. **

"**To the turbines, young man," the lady said. "Weren't you listening to my fascinating presentation upstairs?"**

"No he wasn't," Nico said. "Only Annabeth would. The rest of us would be asleep."

"Nico, you are so dead after this!" Annabeth said.

"No point, he's already dead! Right dead boy?" Thalia laughed, while everyone else just stared at her. Artemis just sighed, and shook her head.

"**Oh, uh, sure. Is there another way out of the dam?"  
**

"**It's a dead end," a tourist behind me said. "For heaven's sake. The only way out is the other elevator."**

**The doors opened. **

"**Go right ahead, folks," the tour guide told us. "Another ranger is waiting for you at the end of the corridor."**

**I didn't have much choice but to go out with the group. **

"**And young man," the tour guide called. I looked back. She'd taken off her glasses. Her eyes were starling gray, like storm clouds. "There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it."**

"Athena," Percy breathed.

"That's right kelp for brains," Thalia said. "I can't believe you didn't even recognize her after she'd shown you her eyes. By the way, did you even realize you just got dissed?"

"Um … no?" Percy replied.

**The doors closed with the tour guide still inside, leaving me alone. **

**Before I could think too much about the woman in the elevator, a ding came from around the corner. The second elevator was opening, and I heard an unmistakable sound-the clattering of skeleton teeth.**

**I ran after the tour group, through a tunnel carved out of solid rock. It seemed to run forever. I came out on a U-shaped balcony that overlooked this huge warehouse area. Fifty feet below, enormous turbines were running. **

**Another tour guide was talking over the microphone, telling the tourists about water supplies in Nevada. I prayed that Thalia, Zoe, and Grover were okay. They might already be captured, or eating at the snack bar, completely unaware that we were being surrounded. **

**I worked my way around the crowd, trying not to be too obvious about it. There was a hallway at the other side of the balcony-maybe some place I could hide. I kept my hand on Riptide ready to strike.**

"What' coming up next is not a very pleasant memory, all thanks to Percy over here," Rachel said, pointing at Percy.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Percy said.

**By the time I got to the opposite side of the balcony, my nerves were shot. I backed into the little hallway and watched the tunnel I'd come from.**

**Then right behind me I heard a sharp Chhh! Like the voice of a skeleton.**

**Without thinking, I uncapped Riptide and spun, slashing with y sword.**

**The girl I'd just tried to slice in half yelped and dropped her Kleenex.**

"**Oh my god!" she shouted. "Do you always kill people when they blow their nose?"**

"Oh my gods," Annabeth corrected.

**The first thing that went through my head was that the sword hadn't hurt her. It had passed clean through her body harmlessly. "You're mortal!"**

**She looked at me in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course I'm mortal! How did you get that sword past security?"**

"**I didn't-Wait, you can see it's a sword?"**

"I still can't believe that you couldn't figure out that she's clear sighted," Annabeth said.

**The girl rolled her eyes, which were green like mine. She had frizzy reddish-brown hair. Her nose was also red, like she had a cold. She wore a big maroon Harvard sweatshirt and jeans that were covered with marker stains and little holes, like she spent her free time poking them with a fork.**

"Thanks Percy," Rachel said sarcastically.

"**Well, it's either a sword or the biggest toothpick in the world," she said. "And why didn't it hurt me? I mean, not that I'm complaining. Who are you? And who, what is that you're wearing? Is that made of lion fur?"**

**She asked so many questions so fast, it was like she was throwing rocks at me. I couldn't think of what to say. **

"Tell me about it," Nico said. "That's what Bianca used to do to me, but thinking about that, I miss it even though I found it very annoying."

**I looked at my sleeves to see if the Nemean Lion pelt had somehow changed back to fur, but it still looked like a brown winter coat to me.**

**I knew the skeleton warriors were still chasing me. I had no time to waste. But I just stared at the redheaded girl. Then I remembered what Thalia had done at Westover Hall to fool the teachers. Maybe I could manipulate the Mist.**

**I concentrated hard and snapped my fingers. "You don't see a sword," I told the girl. "It's just a ballpoint pen."**

"Sorry to ruin your hopes Percy, but it wouldn't have worked even if Rachel wasn't clear sighted. You need to actually learn how to do it, you can't just improvise." Thalia said.

**She blinked. "Um … no. It's a sword, weirdo."**

"You know, I was actually debating with myself whether or not you were mentally challenged," Rachel said.

"**Who are you?" I demanded.**

"You know, that was rude," Rachel said, while folding her arms across her chest.

**She huffed indignantly. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Now, are you going to answer my questions or should I scream for security?"**

"**No!" I said. "I mean, I'm kind of in a hurry. I'm in trouble."**

"**In a hurry or in trouble?"**

"Too many questions," Thalia said. "If I was Percy, I would have knocked you unconscious already."

"I'm glad you weren't," Rachel said.

"**Um, sort of both."**

**She looked over my shoulder and her eyes widened.**

"**Bathroom!"**

"**What?"**

"**Bathroom! Behind me! Now!"**

**I don't know why, but I listened to her. I slipped inside the boy's bathroom and left Rachel Elizabeth Dare standing outside. Later, that seemed cowardly to me. I'm also pretty sure it saved my life.**

"It?" Rachel questioned, while raising her eyebrows.

"She, sorry Rachel." Percy said.

**I heard the clattering, hissing sounds of skeletons as they came closer.**

**I grip tightened on Riptide. What was I thinking? I'd left a mortal girl out there to die. I was preparing to burst out and fight when Rachel Elizabeth Dare started talking in that rapid-fire machine gun way of hers.**

"She wouldn't have died. But overall, perfect description of Rachel Percy," Thalia said, smirking at Rachel.

Rachel just glared.

"**Oh my god! Did you see that kid? It's about time you got here. He tried to kill me! He had a sword, for god's sake. You security guys let a sword-swinging lunatic inside a national landmark? I mean, jeez! He ran that way toward those turbine thingies. I think he went over the side or something. Maybe he fell."**

**The skeletons clattered excitedly. I heard them moving off.**

**Rachel opened the door. "All clear. But you'd better hurry."**

**I peeked around the corner. Three skeleton warriors were running toward the to the end of the balcony. The way to the elevator was clear for a few seconds.**

"**I owe you one, Rachel Elizabeth Dare."**

"You paid me back," Rachel said. "We're even now."

"**What are those things?" she asked. "They looked like-"**

"**Skeletons?"**

"**Do yourself a favor," I said. "Forget it. Forget you ever saw me."**

"**Forget you tried to kill me?"**

"**Yeah. That, too."**

"Didn't seem to work," Rachel said.

"**But who are you?"**

"**Percy-" I started to say. Then the skeletons turned around. "Gotta go!"**

"**What kind of name is Percy Gotta-go?"**

**I bolted for the exit.**

**The café was packed with kids enjoying the best part of the tour-the dam lunch. Thalia, Zoe, and Grover were just sitting down with their food.**

"**We need to leave," I gasped. "Now!"**

"**But we just got our burritos!" Thalia said.**

"I'm just glad there weren't any enchiladas, otherwise Grover would never leave that place." Percy said.

**Zoe stood up, muttering an Ancient Greek curse. "He's right! Look."**

**The café windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, which gave us a beautiful panoramic view of the skeletal army that had come to kill us.**

"Wow Percy, panoramic?" Annabeth said. "I'm surprised you even know what that means."

**I counted on the east side of the dam road, blocking the way to Arizona. Three more on the west side, guarding Nevada. All of them were armed with batons and pistols.**

"Hmmm, I'm going to have to get dad to give them better weapons." Nico said. "Seriously? Batons?"

**But our immediate problem was a lot closer. The three skeletal warriors who'd been chasing me in the turbine room now appeared on the stairs. They saw me from across the cafeteria and clattered their teeth.**

"**Elevator!" Grover said. We bolted that direction, but the doors opened with a pleasant ding, and three more warriors stepped out. Every warrior was accounted for, minus the one Bianca had blasted to flames in New Mexico. We were completely surrounded.**

**Then Grover had a brilliant, totally Grover-like idea.**

"It was brilliant, wasn't it?" Grover said.

"**Burrito fight!" he yelled, and flung his Guacamole Grande at the nearest skeleton.**

**Grover's lunch hit the skeleton and knocked his skull clean off his shoulders. I'm not sure what the other kids in the café saw, but they went crazy and started throwing their burritos and baskets of chips and sodas at each other, shrieking and screaming.**

**The skeletons tried to aim their gun, but it was hopeless. Bodies and food and drinks were flying everywhere.**

**In the chaos, Thalia and I tackled the other two skeletons on the stairs and sent them flying into the condiment table. Then we all raced downstairs, Guacamole Grandes whizzing past our heads.**

"Who agrees that it was the best food fight ever?" Grover asked.

"Totally," Percy said.

Thalia and Artemis just looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Boys."

"**What now?" Grover asked as we burst outside.**

**I didn't have an answer. The warriors on the road were closing in from either direction. We ran across the street to the pavilion wit the winged bronze statues, but that just put our backs to the mountain.**

**The skeletons moved forward, forming a crescent around us. Their brethren from the café were running up to join them. One was still putting its skull back on its shoulders. Another was covered in ketchup and mustard. Two more had burritos lodged in their rib cages. They didn't look happy about it. They drew batons and advanced.**

"They weren't at all. It drove dad crazy!" Nico said.

"**Four against eleven," Zoe muttered. "And they cannot die."**

"**It's been nice adventuring with you guys," Grover said, his voice trembling.**

**Something shiny caught the corner of my eye. I glanced behind me at the statue's feet. "Who," I said. "Their toes really are bright."**

"**Percy!" Thalia said. "This isn't the time."**

**But I couldn't help staring at the two giant bronze guys with tall bladed wings like letter openers. They were weathered brown except their toes, which shone like new pennies from all the times people had rubbed them for good luck.**

**Good luck. The blessing of Zeus.**

**I thought about the tour guide in the elevator. Her gray eyes and her smile. What had she said? There is always a way for those clever enough to find it.**

"Great," Annabeth said. "He still hasn't figured out that the tour guide was mom."

"**Thalia," I said. "Pray to your dad."**

**She glared at me. "He never answers."**

"**Just this once," I pleaded. "Ask for help/ I think … I think the statues can give us some luck."**

**Six skeletons raised their guns. The other five came forward with batons. Fifty feet away. Forty feet.**

"**Do it!" I yelled.**

"**No!" Thalia said. "He won't answer me."**

"Thalia," Artemis said. "He heard your prayers, it's just that the ancient laws forbid him from interfering. You should have seen the state of father when he turned you into a tree."

"**This time is different!"**

"**Who says?"**

**I hesitated. "Athena, I think."**

**Thalia scowled like she was sure I'd gone crazy.**

"You think?" Thalia said.

"**Try it," Grover pleaded.**

**Thalia closed her eyes. Her lips moved in a silent prayer. I put in my own prayer to Annabeth's mom, hoping I was right that it had been her in that elevator-that she was trying to help us save her daughter.**

**And nothing happened.**

**The skeletons closed in. I raised Riptide to defend myself. Thalia held up her shield. Zoe pushed Grover behind her and aimed an arrow at a skeleton's head.**

**A shadow fell over me. I thought maybe it was the shadow of death. **

"Oh wow, how cliché is that?" Nico said. "The shadow of death?"

**Then I realized it was the shadow of an enormous wing. The skeletons looked up too late. A flash of bronze and all of the baton-wielders were swept aside.**

**The other skeletons opened fire. I raised my lion coat for protection, but I didn't need it. The bronze angels stopped in front of us and folded their wings like shields.**

"**Man, it feels good to stand up!" the first angel said. **

"**Will ya look at my toes?" the other said. "Holy Zeus, what were those tourist thinking?"**

**As stunned as I was by the angels, I was more concerned with the skeletons. A few of them were getting up again, reassembling bony hands groping for their weapons.**

"**Trouble!" I said.**

"**Get us out of here!" Thalia yelled.**

**Both angels looked down at her. "Zeus's kid?"**

"**Yes!"**

"I can't believe that they couldn't recognize one of Zeus's kids. The eyes?" Annabeth said.

"**Could I get a please, Miss Zeus's Kid?" an angel asked.**

"**Please!"**

**The angels looked at each other and shrugged. **

"**Could use a stretch," one decided.**

**And the net thing I knew, one of them grabbed Thalia and me, the other grabbed Zoe and Grover, and we flew straight up, over the dam and the river, the skeleton warriors shrinking to tiny specks below us and the sound of gunfire echoing off the sides of the mountains.**

"Thanks dad," Thalia said, while looking up at the sky.

There was a sight rumbling sound, sort of like Zeus was saying, "you're welcome."

"Alright who's next?" Thalia asked.

"What's the next chapter titled?" Annabeth asked.

"I wrestle Santa's evil twin," Thalia replied.

"I'll read then," Artemis said. " I like the title. Evil twin." The goddess laughed. How ironic, the mortals think of me as Santa because of my moon chariot and my twin, Apollo. Alright let's begin then."


	16. I Wrestle Santa's Evil Twin

**I Wrestle Santa's Evil Twin**

"**Tell me when it's over," Thalia said. Her eyes were shut tight. The statue was holding on to us so we couldn't fall, but still Thalia clutched his arm like it was the most important thin in the world.**

"**Everything's fine," I promised.**

"**Are … are we very high?"**

**I looked down. Below us, a range of snowy mountains zipped by. I stretched out my foot and kicked snow off of the peaks.**

"**Nah," I said. "Not that high."**

"Really Percy? Not that high? Have you forgotten about Thalia's fear of heights?" Annabeth said.

"**We are in the Sierras!" Zoe yelled. She and Grover were hanging from the arms of the other statue. "I have hunted here before. At this speed, we should be in San Francisco in a few hours."**

"Yes we have," Artemis said, a small smile playing at her lips. "Hellhounds and giants, I remember. Quite dangerous, but we still got the job done."

"**Hey, hey, Frisco!" our angel said. "Yo, Chuck! We could visit those guys at the Mechanics Monument again! They know how to party!"**

"**You guys have visited San Francisco?" I asked.**

"**We automatons gotta have some fun once in a while, right?" our statue said. "those mechanics took us over to the de Young Museum and introduced us to these marble lady statues, see. And-"**

"**Hank!" the other statue Chuck cut in. "They're kids, man."**

"Typical males," Artemis said.

"**Oh, right." If bronze statues could blush, I swear Hank did. "Back to flying."**

**We sped up, so I could tell the angels were excited. The mountains fell away into hills, and then we were zipping along over farmland and towns and highways.**

**Thalia kept her eyes closed the whole way. She muttered to herself a lot, like she was praying.**

"**You did good back there," I told her. "Zeus listened."**

**It was hard to tell what she was thinking with her eyes closed.**

"**Maybe," she said. "How did you get away from the skeletons in the generator room, anyway? You aid they cornered you."**

**I told her about the weird mortal girl, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who seemed to be able to see right through the Mist.**

"Thanks a lot Percy," Rachel said.

"Well …" Percy replied. "Never mind."

**I thought Thalia was going to call me crazy, but she just nodded.**

"**Some mortals are like that," she said. "Nobody knows why."**

**Suddenly I flashed on something I'd never considered. My mom was like that. She had seen the Minotaur on Half Blood Hill and known exactly what it was. She hadn't been surprised at all last year when I'd told her my friend Tyson was really a Cyclops. Maybe she'd known all along. No wonder she'd been so scared for me as I was growing up. She saw through the Mist even better than I did.**

"**Well, the girl was annoying," I said. "But I'm glad I didn't vaporize her. That would've been bad."**

"If you did, you would have lost your oracle." Rachel said.

**Thalia nodded. "Must be nice to be a regular mortal."**

"**Where you guys want to land?" Hank asked, waking me up from a nap.**

**I looked down and said, "Whoa."**

**I'd seen San Francisco in pictures before, but never in real life. It was probably the most beautiful city I'd ever seen: kind of a smaller, cleaner Manhattan, if Manhattan had been surrounded by green hills and fog. There was a huge bay and ships, islands and sailboats, and the Golden Gate Bridge sticking up out of the fog. I felt like I should have taken a picture or something. Greetings from Frisco. Haven't Died Yet. Wish You Were Here.**

"Wow Percy," Annabeth said.

"Next time you go there, you take a picture and send me a card," Nico said.

"Haha, very funny Nico." Percy said sarcastically.

"**There," Zoe suggested. "By the Embarcadero Building." **

"**Good thinking," Chuck said. "Me and Hank can blend in with the pigeons."**

**We all looked at him.**

"**Kidding," he said. "Sheesh, can't statues have a sense of humor?"**

"I'm sorry, but are they somehow related to Apollo or something? There sense of humor can compare to his haikus." Thalia said.

Rachel glared at Thalia for insulting her patron god.

**As it turned out, there wasn't much need to blend in. It was early morning and not many people were around. We freaked out a homeless guy on the ferry dock when we landed. He screamed when he saw Hank and Chuck and ran off yelling something about metal angels from Mars.**

**We said our good-byes to the angels, who flew off to party with their statue friends. That's when I realized I had no idea what we were going to do next.**

"You know, those angels were pretty cool," Grover said. "I wonder if they're back at Hoover Dam now."

"Yes, they are." Artemis said. "Father let them take one week off for vacation."

**We'd made it to the West Coast. Artemis was here somewhere. Annabeth too, I hoped. But I had no idea how to find them, and tomorrow was the winter solstice. Nor did I have any clue what monster Artemis had been hunting. It was supposed to find us on the quest. It was supposed to "show the trail" but it never had. Now we were stuck on the ferry dock with not much money, no friends, and no luck.**

"It already found you," Annabeth said. "You just didn't know it at the time."

**After a brief discussion, we agreed that we needed to figure out just what this mystery monster was.**

"**But how?" I asked. **

"**Nereus," Grover said.**

**I looked up at him. "What?"**

"**Isn't that what Apollo told you to do? Find Nereus?"**

**I nodded. I'd completely forgotten my last conversation with the sun god.**

"**The old man of the sea," I remembered. "I'm supposed to find him and force him to tell us what he knows. But how do I find him?"**

**Zoe made a face. "Old Nereus, eh?"**

"**You know him?" Thalia asked.**

"**My mother was a sea goddess. Yes, I know him. Unfortunately, he is never very hard to find. Just follow the smell."**

"He smelled horribly bad," Percy said.

"Yeah, totally." Thalia and Grover said at the same time.

"**Come," she said without enthusiasm. "I will show thee."**

**I knew I was in trouble when we stepped at the Goodwill drop box. Five minutes later, Zoe had me outfitted in a ragged flannel shirt and jeans three sizes too big, bright red sneakers, and a floppy rainbow hat.**

"**Oh, yea," Grover said, trying not to bust out laughing, "you look completely inconspicuous now."**

**Zoe nodded with satisfaction. "A typical male vagrant."**

"**Thanks a lot," I grumbled. Why am I doing this again?"**

"**I told thee. To blend in."**

"Zoe did a great job," Thalia said. "You looked just like a hobo."

**She led the way back down to the waterfront. After a long time spent searching the docks, Zoe finally stopped in her tracks. She pointed down a pier where a bunch of homeless guys were huddled together in blankets, waiting for the soup kitchen to open for lunch.**

"**He will be down there somewhere," Zoe said. "He never travels very far from the water. He likes to sun himself during the day."**

"**How do I know which on is him?"  
**

"**Sneak up," she said. "Act homeless. You will know hi. He will smell … different."**

"Yeah, very different." Percy said.

"**Great." I didn't want to ask for particulars "And once I find him?" **

"**Grab him", she said. "And hold on. He will try anything to get ride of thee. Whatever he does, do not let go. Force him to tell thee about the monster."**

"**We've got your back," Thalia said. She picked something off the back of my shirt-a big clump of fuzz that came from who-knows-where. "Eww. On second thought … I don't want your back. But we'll be rooting for you."**

Everyone laughed, while Percy frowned.

"Aww, come on seaweed brain, don't sulk." Annabeth said with a smirk.

**Grover gave me a big thumbs-up.**

**II pulled down my hat and stumbled like I was about to pass out, which wasn't hard considering how tired I was. I passed our homeless friend from Embarcadero, who was still trying to warn the other guys about the metal angels from Mars.**

"Why does everything have to come from Mars?" Percy asked.

Everyone looked at each other, and then shrugged.

"Blame Hermes," Artemis said. "He makes sure everything is alright with the Mist."

**At the end of the pier, a guy who looked about a million years old was passed out in a patch of sunlight. He wore pajamas and a fuzzy bathrobe that probably used to be white. He was fat, with a white beard that had turned yellow, kind of like Santa Claus if Santa had been rolled out of bed and dragged through a landfill.**

**And his smell?**

**As I got closer, I froze. He smelled bad, all right-but ocean bad. Like hot seaweed and dead fish and brine. If the ocean had an ugly side … this guy was it.**

"Technically, Oceanus is the bad side of the ocean." Annabeth said.

**I tried not to gag as I sat down near him like I was tired. Santa opened one eye suspiciously. I could feel him staring at me, but I didn't look. I muttered something about stupid school and stupid parents, figuring that might sound reasonable.**

**Santa Claus went back to sleep.**

**I tensed. I knew this was going to look strange. I didn't know how the other homeless people would react. But I jumped Santa Claus.**

"**Ahhhhh!" he screamed. I meant to grab him but he seemed to grab me instead. It was as if he'd never been asleep at all. He certainly didn't act like a weak old man. He had a grip like steel. "Help me!" he screamed as he squeezed me to death.**

"He's such a cheater," Nico said.

"**That's a crime!" one of the other homeless guys yelled. "Kid rolling an old man like that!" **

"Some old man he was," Percy grumbled, emphasizing on the word old.

**"I don't have any money!" He tried to get up and run, but I locked my arms around his chest. His rotten fish smell was awful, but I held on.**

**"I don't want money," I said as he fought. "I'm a half-blood! I want information.'" That just made him struggle harder. "Heroes! Why do you always pick on me?" "Because you know everything!"**

"If you didn't know everything, everyone would be at least a mile away from you," Percy said.

**He growled and tried to shake me off his back. It was like holding on to a roller coaster. He thrashed around, making it impossible for me to keep on my feet, but I gritted my teeth and squeezed tighter. We staggered toward the edge of the pier and I got an idea.**

"Usually, your ideas don't work out," Annabeth pointed out.

"Well, this time it did work," Percy replied with a look of pride on his face.

**"Oh, no!" I said. "Not the water!"**

**The plan worked. Immediately, Nereus yelled in triumph and jumped off the edge. Together, we plunged into San Francisco Bay.**

Annabeth shook her head. "I can't believe he fell for that. Just by looking at Percy's eyes you could tell that he was a son of Poseidon."

"Yeah," Nico said. "I thought he knew everything! Shouldn't he have seen this coming?"

"Nereus is blessed with the gift of knowledge, but he can't see in the future," Annabeth said.

"Well shouldn't he have been smart enough to hang somewhere else so people like Percy can't capture him?" Nico said.

"Let's just say that Nereus isn't so smart when it comes to hiding," Artemis said.

**He must've been surprised when I tightened my grip, the ocean filling me with extra strength. But Nereus had a few tricks left, too. He changed shape until I was holding a sleek black seal.**

Artemis chuckled. "You must have enjoyed his tricks," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I enjoyed it very much," Percy said.

**I've heard people make jokes about trying to hold a greased pig, but I'm telling you, holding on to a seal in the water is harder. Nereus plunged straight down, wriggling and thrashing and spiraling through the dark water. If I hadn't been Poseidon's son, there's no way I could've stayed with him.**

**Nereus spun and expanded, turning into a killer whale, but I grabbed his dorsal fin as he burst out of the water. A whole bunch of tourists went, "Whoa!"**

**I managed to wave at the crowd. **_**Yeah, we do this every day here in San Francisco**_**.**

Everyone laughed at that.

"Wow Percy," Annabeth said.

**Nereus plunged into the water and turned into a slimy eel. I started to tie him into a knot until he realized what was going on and changed back to human form. "Why won't you drown?" he wailed, pummeling me with his fists.**

**"I'm Poseidon's son," I said.**

**"Curse that upstart! I was here first!"**

"He was?" Percy said.

"Well duh!" Thalia said. "He was the son of Pontus and Gaia; or a Titan, or in simpler terms in case your fish brain can't interpret what that means."

**Finally he collapsed on the edge of the boat dock. Above us was one of those tourist piers lined with shops, like a mall on water. **

**My friends ran down the steps from the pier.**

**"You got him!" Zoe said.**

**"You don't have to sound so amazed," I said.**

"Again, more evidence to show that you're a hero with a huge ego," Thalia said.

**Nereus moaned. "Oh, wonderful. An audience for my humiliation! The normal deal, I suppose? You'll let me go if I answer your question?"**

**"I've got more than one question," I said. "Only one question per capture! That's the rule." I looked at my friends.**

**This wasn't good. I needed to find Artemis, and I needed to figure out what the doomsday creature was. I also needed to know if Annabeth was still alive, and how to rescue her. How could I ask that all in one question?**

**A voice inside me was screaming **_**Ask about Annabeth**_**! That's what I cared about most.**

"Awwwwwwww," Rachel said.

Thalia and Artemis just stared at Rachel like she had gone mad.

**But then I imagined what Annabeth might say. She would never forgive me if I saved her and didn't save Olympus. Zoe would want me to ask about Artemis, but Chiron had told us the monster was even more important.**

"You're right Percy, I wouldn't" Annabeth said. "Like my mother said, your fatal flaw Percy, loyalty."

Percy nodded solemnly.

**I sighed. "All right, Nereus. Tell me where to find this terrible monster that could bring an end to the gods. The one Artemis was hunting."**

**The Old Man of the Sea smiled, showing off his mossy green teeth. "Oh, that's too easy," he said evilly. "He's right there." Nereus pointed to the water at my feet.**

"You know, I don't even think the Aphrodite cabin could do anything about him," Thalia said.

"Totally agree," Grover and Percy said at the same time.

**"Where?" I said.**

**"The deal is complete!" Nereus gloated. With a pop, he turned into a goldfish and did a backflip into the sea.**

**"You tricked me!" I yelled.**

**"Wait." Thalia's eyes widened. "What is **_**that**_**?"**

**"MOOOOOOOO!"**

**I looked down, and there was my friend the cow serpent, swimming next to the dock. She nudged my shoe and gave me the sad brown eyes.**

**"Ah, Bessie," I said. "Not now."**

**"Mooo!"**

**Grover gasped. "He says his name isn't Bessie."**

**"You can understand her... er, him?"**

"Yes, it's a her," Grover said.

"I still can't believe you didn't know that it was a male," Thalia said.

**Grover nodded. "It's a very old form of animal speech. But he says his name is the Ophiotaurus."**

**"Moooooooo!"**

**"He says Percy is his protector," Grover announced.**

**"And he's running from the bad people. He says they are close."**

"Yeah," Percy said. "Very very very bad people."

"Actually it's not just people." Annabeth said. "There's …"

Artemis cut her off before she could list the different types of monsters and other species involved in the Second Titan War.

**"Wait," Zoe said, looking at me. "You know this cow?"**

**I was feeling impatient, but I told them the story.**

**Thalia shook her head in disbelief. "And you just forgot to mention this before?"**

**"Well... yeah." It seemed silly, now that she said it, but things had been happening so fast. Bessie, the Ophiotaurus, seemed like a minor detail.**

"Yeah, definitely a minor detail," Thalia said sarcastically.

**"I am a fool," Zoe said suddenly. "I know this story!" "What story?" "From the War of the Titans," she said. "My... my father told me this tale, thousands of years ago. This is the beast we are looking for."**

**"Bessie?" I looked down at the bull serpent. "But... he's too cute. He couldn't destroy the world."**

**"That is how we were wrong," Zoe said. "We've been anticipating a huge dangerous monster, but the Ophiotaurus does not bring down the gods that way. He must be sacrificed."**

**"MMMM," Bessie lowed.**

**"I don't think he likes the S-word," Grover said.**

"He definitely didn't," Percy said.

**I patted Bessie on the head, trying to calm him down. He let me scratch his ear, but he was trembling.**

**"How could anyone hurt him?" I said. "He's harmless."**

**Zoe nodded. "But there is power in killing innocence.**

**Terrible power. The Fates ordained a prophecy eons ago, when this creature was born. They said that whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed its entrails to fire would have the power to destroy the gods."**

**"MMMMMM!"**

**"Um," Grover said. "Maybe we could avoid talking about **_**entrails**_**, too."**

**Thalia stared at the cow serpent with wonder. "The power to destroy the gods... how? I mean, what would happen?"**

Artemis looked at Thalia uneasily.

**"No one knows," Zoe said. "The first time, during the Titan war, the Ophiotaurus was in fact slain by a giant ally of the Titans, but thy father, Zeus, sent an eagle to snatch the entrails away before they could be tossed into the fire. It was a close call. Now, after three thousand years, the Ophiotaurus is reborn."**

**Thalia sat down on the dock. She stretched out her hand. Bessie went right to her. Thalia placed her hand on his head. Bessie shivered.**

**Thalia's expression bothered me. She almost looked... hungry.**

"Power," Annabeth said quietly. "Her fatal flaw."

**"We have to protect him," I told her. "If Luke gets hold of him—"**

**"Luke wouldn't hesitate," Thalia muttered. "The power to overthrow Olympus. That's... that's huge."**

**"Yes, it is, my dear," said a man's voice in a heavy French accent. "And it is a power **_**you **_**shall unleash."**

**The Ophiotaurus made a whimpering sound and submerged.**

"I feel so sorry for Bess- I mean the Ophiotaurus. He's so helpless and scared," Percy said.

**I looked up. We'd been so busy talking, we'd allowed ourselves to be ambushed.**

**Standing behind us, his two-color eyes gleaming wickedly, was Dr. Thorn, the manticore himself.**

"I absolutely hate that guy," Nico said.

**"Long ago, the gods banished me to Persia," the manticore said. "I was forced to scrounge for food on the edges of the world, hiding in forests, devouring insignificant human farmers for my meals. I never got to fight any great heroes. I was not feared and admired in the old stories! But now that will change. The Titans shall honor me, and I shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!"**

"Oh so I'll be fine since I'm a mortal," Rachel said.

Everyone stared at her in shock.

**"Where... where are the skeletons?" I asked the manticore.**

"Thank the gods he decided that he didn't need the skeletons," Percy said. "If they were there, there would be no chance for all of us."

**He sneered. "I do not need those foolish undead! The General thinks I am worthless? He will change his mind when I defeat you myself!"**

**I needed time to think. I had to save Bessie. I could dive into the sea, but how could I make a quick getaway with a five-hundred-pound cow serpent? And what about my friends?**

**"We beat you once before," I said.**

**"Ha! You could barely fight me with a goddess on your side. And, alas... that goddess is preoccupied at the moment. There will be no help for you now."**

"Actually we could have defeated him, it was because we didn't have a battle plan," Annabeth said.

"Typical child of Athena," Rachel said.

Annabeth glared at her.

**Zoe notched an arrow and aimed it straight at the manticore's head. The guards on either side of us raised their guns.**

**"Wait!" I said. "Zoe, don't!"**

**The manticore smiled. "The boy is right, Zoe Nightshade. Put away your bow. It would be a shame to kill you before you witnessed Thalia's great victory."**

"Thanks to Lady Artemis, that opportunity will never happen again," Thalia said.

**"What are you talking about?" Thalia growled. She had her shield and spear ready.**

**"Surely it is clear," the manticore said. "This is your moment. This is why Lord Kronos brought you back to life. You will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus. You will bring its entrails to the sacred fire on the mountain. You will gain unlimited power. And for your sixteenth birthday, you will overthrow Olympus."**

**No one spoke. It made terrible sense. Thalia was only two days away from turning sixteen. She was a child of the Big Three. And here was a choice, a terrible choice that could mean the end of the gods. It was just like the prophecy said. I wasn't sure if I felt relieved, horrified, or disappointed. I wasn't the prophecy kid after all. Doomsday was happening right now.**

"Like I said …"

"I know Thalia," Percy said. "I'm a hero with a huge ego."

Thalia smirked and stuck her tongue out at Percy.

**I waited for Thalia to tell the manticore off, but she hesitated. She looked completely stunned.**

**"You know it is the right choice," the manticore told her. "Your friend Luke recognized it. You shall be reunited with him. You shall rule this world together under the auspices of the Titans. Your father abandoned you, Thalia. He cares nothing for you. And now you shall gain power over him. Crush the Olympians underfoot, as they deserve. Call the beast! It will come to you. Use your spear."**

"Liars," Annabeth said. "The Titans don't care about others except themselves."

**"Thalia," I said, "snap out of it!"**

**She looked at me the same way she had the morning she woke up on Half-Blood Hill, dazed and uncertain. It was almost like she didn't know me. "I... I don't—"**

**"Your father helped you," I said. "He sent the metal angels. He turned you into a tree to preserve you."**

"Being turned into a tree was not fun at all," Thalia said through gritted teeth.

The sky rumbled a bit. Zeus was listening.

**Her hand tightened on the shaft of her spear.**

**I looked at Grover desperately. Thank the gods, he understood what I needed. He raised his pipes to his mouth and played a quick riff.**

**The manticore yelled, "Stop him!"**

**The guards had been targeting Zoe, and before they could figure out that the kid with the pipes was the bigger problem, the wooden planks at their feet sprouted new branches and tangled their legs. Zoe let loose two quick arrows that exploded at their feet in clouds of sulfurous yellow smoke. Fart arrows!**

"Thanks a lot for calling me a kid Percy," Grover said. "You do know that I'm older than you right?"

"Yes," Percy said sheepishly.

**The guards started coughing. The manticore shot spines in our direction, but they ricocheted off my lion's coat.**

**"Grover," I said, "tell Bessie to dive deep and stay down!" **

**"Moooooo!" Grover translated. **

**I could only hope that Bessie got the message. **

"I'm glad he did," Grover said. "You know the Ophiotaurus is actually pretty cool. I should chat with him when I'm free.

**"The cow..." Thalia muttered, still in a daze.**

**"Come on!" I pulled her along as we ran up the stairs to the shopping center on the pier. We dashed around the corner of the nearest store. I heard the manticore shouting at his minions, "Get them!" Tourists screamed as the guards shot blindly into the air.**

"I wonder what the tourist were seeing," Percy said.

"I don't even want to know," Thalia said.

**We scrambled to the end of the pier. We hid behind a little kiosk filled with souvenir crystals—wind chimes and dream catchers and stuff like that, glittering in the sunlight. There was a water fountain next to us. Down below, a bunch of sea lions were sunning themselves on the rocks. The whole of San Francisco Bay spread out before us: the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the green hills and fog beyond that to the north. A picture-perfect moment, except for the fact that we were about to die and the world was going to end.**

"How ironic," Annabeth said.

**"Go over the side!" Zoe told me. "You can escape in the sea, Percy. Call on thy father for help. Maybe you can save the Ophiotaurus."**

"Your father would listen to you Percy," Annabeth said. "He loves you."

"That's great for him," Thalia muttered under her breath.

Artemis heard, and gave her a sympathetic smile.

**She was right, but I couldn't do it. "I won't leave you guys," I said. "We fight together." "You have to get word to camp!" Grover said. "At least let them know what's going on!"**

**Then I noticed the crystals making rainbows in the sunlight. There was a drinking fountain next to me...**

**"Get word to camp," I muttered. "Good idea."**

"Alert the media! Kelp for brains finally understands!" Thalia said.

**I uncapped Riptide and slashed off the top of the water fountain. Water burst out of the busted pipe and sprayed all over us.**

**Thalia gasped as the water hit her. The fog seemed to clear from her eyes. "Are you crazy?" she asked.**

"You do not want to piss of Thalia," Annabeth said. "You have no idea. She one fried off someone's eyebrows!"

**But Grover understood. He was already fishing around in his pockets for a coin. He threw a golden drachma into the rainbows created by the mist and yelled, "O goddess, accept my offering!"**

**The mist rippled.**

**"Camp Half-Blood!" I said.**

**And there, shimmering in the Mist right next to us, was the last person I wanted to see: Mr. D, wearing his leopard-skin jogging suit and rummaging through the refrigerator.**

"Aphrodite has wanted to upgrade everyone's wardrobe for the past century. Thanks to father, who convinced her not to." Artemis said.

**He looked up lazily. "Do you mind?" "Where's Chiron!" I shouted. "How rude." **

**Mr. D took a swig from a jug of grape juice. "Is that how you say hello?" "Hello," I amended. "We're about to die! Where's Chiron?"**

"Percy, you shouldn't talk like that to a god, when you want them to save you; especially Mr. D!" Annabeth said, while shaking her head.

**Mr. D considered that. I wanted to scream at him to hurry up, but I knew that wouldn't work. Behind us, footsteps and shouting—the manticore's troops were closing in.**

**"About to die," Mr. D mused. "How exciting. I'm afraid Chiron isn't here. Would you like me to take a message?"**

**I looked at my friends. "We're dead."**

"It was actually a miracle that he saved us," Grover said.

**Thalia gripped her spear. She looked like her old angry self again. "Then we'll die fighting."**

**"How noble," Mr. D said, stifling a yawn. "So what is the problem, exactly?"**

**I didn't see that it would make any difference, but I told him about the Ophiotaurus. **

**"Mmm." He studied the contents of the fridge. "So that's it. I see."**

**"You don't even care!" I screamed. "You'd just as soon watch us die!" **

"Of course he would," Artemis said. "It's Dinoysus."

**"Let's see. I think I'm in the mood for pizza tonight."**

**I wanted to slash through the rainbow and disconnect, but I didn't have time. The manticore screamed, "There!" And we were surrounded. Two of the guards stood behind him. The other two appeared on the roofs of the pier shops above us. The manticore threw off his coat and transformed into his true self, his lion claws extended and his spiky tail bristling with poison barbs.**

**"Excellent," he said. He glanced at the apparition in the mist and snorted. "Alone, without any **_**real **_**help. Wonderful."**

**"You could **_**ask **_**for help," Mr. D murmured to me, as if this were an amusing thought. "You could say please."**

**When wild boars fly, I thought. There was no way I was going to die begging a slob like Mr. D, just so he could laugh as we all got gunned down.**

"Actually some do," Annabeth said.

"That's why I eventually did say please," Percy said.

**Zoe readied her arrows. Grover lifted his pipes. Thalia raised her shield, and I noticed a tear running down her cheek. Suddenly it occurred to me: this had happened to her before. She had been cornered on Half-Blood Hill. She'd willingly given her life for her friends. But this time, she couldn't save us.**

Annabeth gave Thalia a hug. "It's ok Thalia," she said. "You saved Luke and I."

**How could I let that happen to her?**

"Thanks Percy," Thalia said.

**"Please, Mr. D," I muttered. "Help."**

**Of course, nothing happened.**

**The manticore grinned. "Spare the daughter of Zeus. She will join us soon enough. Kill the others."**

**The men raised their guns, and something strange happened. You know how you feel when all the blood rushes to your head, like if you hang upside down and turn right-side up too quickly? There was a rush like that all around me, and a sound like a huge sigh. The sunlight tinged with purple. I smelled grapes and something more sour—wine.**

"I never really understand why there's a god of wine," Rachel said.

Thunder boomed in the distance.

"Oh crap, he heard that," Rachel said.

_**SNAP!**_

**It was the sound of many minds breaking at the same time. The sound of madness. One guard put his pistol between his teeth like it was a bone and ran around on all fours. Two others dropped their guns and started waltzing with each other. The fourth began doing what looked like an Irish clogging dance. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so terrifying.**

"He can do that?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," Annabeth replied. "Mr. D can drive people mad, and cure madness itself."

"I know! That's why I said he was so cool in the first place," Nico said.

Everyone laughed.

"Mythomagic bow," Percy said.

Nico shot him a death glare.

**"No!" screamed the manticore. "I will deal with you myself!"**

**His tail bristled, but the planks under his paws erupted into grape vines, which immediately began wrapping around the monster's body, sprouting new leaves and clusters of green baby grapes that ripened in seconds as the manticore shrieked, until he was engulfed in a huge mass of vines, leaves, and full clusters of purple grapes. Finally the grapes stopped shivering, and I had a feeling that somewhere inside there, the manticore was no more.**

**"Well," said Dionysus, closing his refrigerator. "That was fun."**

**I stared at him, horrified. "How could you... How did you—"**

**"Such gratitude," he muttered. "The mortals will come out of it. Too much explaining to do if I made their condition permanent. I hate writing reports to Father."**

"Do you have to write reports to Zeus as well?" Annabeth asked Artemis.

"Lady Artemis supposedly has to, but she's dad's favorite so she can just use the puppy dog eyes and dad will give her anything she wants."

Artemis laughed. "Very true indeed."

**He stared resentfully at Thalia. "I hope you learned your lesson, girl. It isn't easy to resist power, is it?"**

**Thalia blushed as if she were ashamed.**

"It isn't," Thalia said.

**"Mr. D," Grover said in amazement. "You... you saved us.**

**"Mmm. Don't make me regret it, satyr. Now get going, Percy Jackson. I've bought you a few hours at most."**

"I still can't believe he saved us," Percy said.

**"The Ophiotaurus," I said. "Can you get it to camp?"**

**Mr. D sniffed. "I do not transport livestock. That's your problem."**

**"But where do we go?"**

**Dionysus looked at Zoe. "Oh, I think the huntress knows. You must enter at sunset today, you know, or all is lost. Now good-bye. My pizza is waiting."**

"You must have caught Dionysus when he was in a good mood," Artemis said.

"I don't think he was in a very good mood," Percy said.

"Trust me," Artemis said. "I've known him for centuries, he only eats pizza when he's in a good mood."

**"Mr. D," I said. He raised his eyebrow. "You called me by my right name," I said. **

**"You called me Percy Jackson."**

**"I most certainly did not, Peter Johnson. Now off with you!"**

**He waved his hand, and his image disappeared in the mist.**

**I looked at Zoe. "What did he mean... 'You know where to go'?"**

**Her face was the color of the fog. She pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate. In the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer.**

**"The garden of my sisters," she said. "I must go home."**

"After everything, she still had to return home to face her father and sisters. The fates can be so cruel," Artemis said.

There was a couple minutes of silence before Artemis spoke again.

"That's the end of chapter 15. Who's going to read next?" she asked. "Annabeth?"

"Sure," Annabeth replied, taking the book from the goddess's hand.

* * *

**Hopefully I can get another chapter done this weekend. No promises about that though. The good news is that if I can't get one chapter out this weekend, there will definitely be one out before the next weekend. I swear on the River Styx. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to R&R!**


	17. We Meet The Dragon Of Eternal Bad Breath

**We Meet The Dragon Of Eternal Bad Breath**

"Ladon," Annabeth mumbled under her breath.

**"We will never make it," Zoe said. "We are moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."**

**"Mooo," Bessie said. He swam next to me as we jogged along the waterfront. We'd left the shopping center pier far behind. We were heading toward the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was a lot farther than I'd realized. The sun was already dipping in the west.**

"The mind sometimes does that," Annabeth said. "The illusion that it is actually very close to you when in reality, it is miles away."

**"I don't get it," I said. "Why do we have to get there at sunset?"**

**"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," Zoe said. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."**

**"What happens if we miss it?"**

**"Tomorrow is winter solstice. If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until tomorrow evening. And by then, the Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."**

**Or Annabeth will be dead, I thought, but I didn't say that.**

"You knew about Annabeth and you didn't tell us?" Grover and Thalia yelled.

"Well I knew both of you would take it too hard on yourselves," Percy said.

"What about you then?" Thalia restored.

Percy remained silent.

**"We need a car," Thalia said.**

**"But what about Bessie?" I asked.**

"Still calling the Ophiotaurus by the wrong name," Thalia said shaking her head.

**Grover stopped in his tracks. "I've got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right?"**

**"Well, yeah," I said. "I mean, he was in Long Island Sound. Then he just popped into the water at Hoover Dam. And now he's here."**

**"So maybe we could coax him back to Long Island Sound," Grover said. "Then Chiron could help us get him to Olympus."**

**"But he was following **_**me" **_**I said. "If I'm not there, would he know where he's going?"**

**"Moo," Bessie said forlornly.**

"That was a no by the way," Grover said.

**"I... I can show him," Grover said. "I'll go with him."**

**I stared at him. Grover was no fan of the water. He'd almost drowned last summer in the Sea of Monsters, and he couldn't swim very well with his goat hooves.**

"Yeah," Grover said. "It's not very fun to swim if you're half goat."

**"I'm the only one who can talk to him," Grover said. "It makes sense." He bent down and said something in Bessie's ear. Bessie shivered, then made a contented, lowing sound.**

**"The blessing of the Wild," Grover said. "That should help with safe passage. Percy, pray to your dad, too. See if he will grant us safe passage through the seas."**

**I tried to concentrate on the waves, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the tide. "Dad," I said. "Help us. Get the Ophiotaurus and Grover safely to camp. Protect them at sea."**

"At least he'll listen every time and do something about it," Thalia grumbled.

**"A prayer like that needs a sacrifice," Thalia said. "Something big."**

**I thought for a second. Then I took off my coat.**

**"Percy," Grover said. "Are you sure? That lion skin... that's really helpful. Hercules used it!"**

**As soon as he said that, I realized something.**

**I glanced at Zoe, who was watching me carefully. I realized I **_**did **_**know who Zoe's hero had been—the one who'd ruined her life, gotten her kicked out of her family, and never even mentioned how she'd helped him: Hercules, a hero I'd admired all my life.**

"Well Perseus, I'm glad you know the truth about Hercules now." Artemis said.

Percy nodded his head solemnly.

**"If I'm going to survive," I said, "it won't be because I've got a lion-skin cloak. I'm not Hercules."**

"I guess there is still some hope for the male gender after all," Artemis said.

**I threw the coat into the bay. It turned back into a golden lion skin, flashing in the light. Then, as it began to sink beneath the waves, it seemed to dissolve into sunlight on the water.**

**The sea breeze picked up.**

**Grover took a deep breath. "Well, no time to lose."**

**He jumped in the water and immediately began to sink. Bessie glided next to him and let Grover take hold of his neck.**

"Why do you keep calling the Ophiotaurus by the wrong name?" Thalia asked.

"Well at least he knows it by the correct gender," Nico said, smirking.

**"Be careful," I told them.**

**"We will," Grover said. "Okay, um... Bessie? We're going to Long Island. It's east. Over that way."**

**"Moooo?" Bessie said.**

**"Yes," Grover answered. "Long Island. It's this island. And ... it's long. Oh, let's just start."**

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Hence the name Long Island."

**"Mooo!" **

**Bessie lurched forward. He started to submerge and Grover said, "I can't breathe underwater! Just thought I'd mention—" **_**Glub!**_

**Under they went, and I hoped my father's protection would extend to little things, like breathing.**

"Thankfully it did," Grover said with a sigh of relief.

**"Well, that is one problem addressed," Zoe said. "But how can we get to my sisters' garden?"**

**"Thalia's right," I said. "We need a car. But there's nobody to help us here. Unless we, uh, borrowed one."**

"The Hermes kids love that term," Annabeth said.

**I didn't like that option. I mean, sure this was a life-or-death situation, but still, it was stealing, and it was bound to get us noticed.**

"Remember the mist?" Thalia said, while snapping her fingers in front of Percy.

"Thalia, that's quite enough," Artemis said.

Thalia immediately sat straight, as still as a rock, while the rest of the group chuckled.

**"Wait," Thalia said. She started rifling through her backpack. "There **_**is **_**somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I've got the address here somewhere."**

**"Who?" I asked.**

**Thalia pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and held it up. "Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."**

"You actually kept the address?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia nodded. "You never know when you need it."

**After hearing Annabeth gripe about her dad for two years, I was expecting him to have devil horns and fangs. **

"Devil horns and fangs Percy?" Annabeth said, while raising her eyebrows.

**I was **_**not **_**expecting him to be wearing an old-fashioned aviator's cap and goggles. He looked so weird, with his eyes bugging out through the glasses, that we all took a step back on the front porch.**

**"Hello," he said in a friendly voice, "Are you delivering my airplanes?" **

Annabeth shook her head. "All he cares about are his planes! Ugh!"

**Thalia, Zoe, and I looked at each other warily. **

**"Um, no, sir," I said. **

**"Drat," he said. "I need three more Sopwith Camels."**

**"Right," I said, though I had no clue what he was talking about. "We're friends of Annabeth."**

**"Annabeth?" He straightened as if I'd just given him an electric shock. "Is she all right? Has something happened?"**

"He did not look like he had an electric shock," Thalia said. "Besides, you can't give one to him, only I can."

**None of us answered, but our faces must've told him that something was very wrong. He took off his cap and goggles. He had sandy-colored hair like Annabeth and intense brown eyes. **

**"You'd better come in," he said.**

"Oh gods," Annabeth said. "Now you're going to meet my half-brothers."

"What's so bad about them?" Rachel asked.

"You'll see," Annabeth replied.

**"Dad!" a little boy screamed. "He's taking apart my robots!"**

**"Bobby," Dr. Chase called absently, "don't take apart your brother's robots."**

**"**_**I'm **_**Bobby," the little boy protested. "He's Matthew!"**

**"Matthew," Dr. Chase called, "don't take apart your brother's robots!"**

"I see why now," Rachel said. "How does your dad not know which one is Bobby, and which one is Matthew?"

"Why don't you ask him," Annabeth said.

**"Okay, Dad!"**

**Dr. Chase turned to us. "We'll go upstairs to my study. This way."**

**"Honey?" a woman called. Annabeth's stepmom appeared in the living room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She was a pretty Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied in a bun.**

**"Who are our guests?" she asked. "Oh," Dr. Chase said. "This is..." He stared at us blankly. "Frederick," she chided. "You forgot to ask them their names?"**

"This is so embarrassing," Annabeth said.

**We introduced ourselves a little uneasily, but Mrs. Chase seemed really nice. She asked if we were hungry. We admitted we were, and she told us she'd bring us some cookies and sandwiches and sodas.**

"Yeah, very nice," Annabeth said sarcastically.

**"Dear," Dr. Chase said. "They came about Annabeth."**

**I half expected Mrs. Chase to turn into a raving lunatic at the mention of her stepdaughter, but she just pursed her lips and looked concerned. "All right. Go on up to the study and I'll bring you some food." She smiled at me. "Nice meeting you, Percy. I've heard a lot about you."**

Annabeth blushed a deep shade of red, while Percy just grinned.

"I wonder what she told her mom about Percy," Nico said.

**Upstairs, we walked into Dr. Chase's study and I said, "Whoa!"**

**The room was wall-to-wall books, but what really caught my attention were the war toys. There was a huge table with miniature tanks and soldiers fighting along a blue painted river, with hills and fake trees and stuff. Old-fashioned biplanes hung on strings from the ceiling, tilted at crazy angles like they were in the middle of a dogfight.**

"A dogfight?" Annabeth said. "You surprised me again Percy, I never thought you would know that."

"It's surprising how males know so much about war terms," Artemis said.

**Dr. Chase smiled. "Yes. The Third Battle of Ypres. I'm writing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a much greater role than they've been given credit for."**

**He plucked a biplane from its string and swept it across the battlefield, making airplane engine noises as he knocked down little German soldiers.**

Everyone laughed at that, including Artemis.

**"Oh, right," I said. I knew Annabeth's dad was a professor of military history. She'd never mentioned he played with toy soldiers.**

"Why would I want to tell anyone that?" Annabeth said.

**Zoe came over and studied the battlefield. "The German lines were farther from the river."**

**Dr. Chase stared at her. "How do you know that?"**

**"I was there," she said matter-of-factly. "Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight each other. And how foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste."**

"Exactly," Artemis said. "It was pathetic."

**Dr. Chase opened his mouth in shock. "You—"**

**"She's a Hunter, sir," Thalia said. "But that's not why we're here. We need-"**

**"You saw the Sopwith Camels?" Dr. Chase said. "How many were there? What formations did they fly?"**

"Oh gods," Annabeth said. "Why didn't he just ask mom? She knows everything!"

**"Sir," Thalia broke in again. "Annabeth is in danger."**

**That got his attention. He set the biplane down.**

**"Of course," he said. "Tell me everything."**

"Way to forget about his own daughter," Percy muttered under his breath.

**It wasn't easy, but we tried. Meanwhile, the afternoon light was fading outside. We were running out of time.**

**When we'd finished, Dr. Chase collapsed in his leather recliner. He laced his hands. "My poor brave Annabeth. We must hurry."**

"Yeah, now he cares," Percy said.

"Percy …" Annabeth said. "He does."

**"Sir, we need transportation to Mount Tamalpais," Zoe said. "And we need it immediately."**

**"I'll drive you. Hmm. it would be faster to fly in my Camel, but it only seats two." **

**"Whoa, you have an actual biplane?" I said.**

**"Down at Crissy Field," Dr. Chase said proudly. "That's the reason I had to move here. My sponsor is a private collector with some of the finest World War I relics in the world. He let me restore the Sopwith Camel—"**

**"Sir," Thalia said. "Just a car would be great. And it might be better if we went without you. It's too dangerous." **

"Thank you Thalia for saving the day," Annabeth said. "If it was just seaweed brain over here, he would still be talking about biplanes with my dad."

**Dr. Chase frowned uncomfortably. "Now wait a minute, young lady. **

**Annabeth is my daughter. Dangerous or not, I... I can't just—"**

**"Snacks," Mrs. Chase announced. She pushed through the door with a tray full of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and Cokes and cookies fresh out of the oven, the chocolate chips still gooey. Thalia and I inhaled a few cookies while Zoe said, "I can drive, sir. I'm not as young as I look. I promise not to destroy your car."**

"She definitely isn't," Artemis said.

"I wonder what she would like if she looked her actual age," Nico said.

"Well Nico," Thalia said. "She would look like a very, very old lady."

**Mrs. Chase knit her eyebrows. "What's this about?"**

**"Annabeth is in danger," Dr. Chase said. "On Mount Tam. I would drive them, but... apparently it's no place for mortals."**

"That's good, he actually listened," Annabeth said.

**It sounded like it was really hard for him to get that last part out.**

"Well of course," Annabeth said. "Imagine what your mom does whenever you go on a quest and fight monsters."

**I waited for Mrs. Chase to say no. I mean, what mortal parent would allow three underage teenagers to borrow their car? To my surprise, Mrs. Chase nodded. "Then they'd better get going."**

"I don't think you can call Zoe underage," Grover said.

**"The keys are hanging on the peg by the front door."**

**Zoe grabbed a sandwich. "Thank you both. We should go. **_**Now"**_

**We hustled out the door and down the stairs, the Chases right behind us.**

**"Percy," Mrs. Chase called as I was leaving, "tell Annabeth... Tell her she still has a home here, will you? Remind her of that."**

"I know that," Annabeth said glumly. "But it just doesn't feel like home."

**I took one last look at the messy living room, Annabeth's half brothers spilling LEGOs and arguing, the smell of cookies filling the air. Not a bad place, I thought.**

"It isn't bad, but Camp Half-Blood is my home," Annabeth said. "It's been my home since I was seven years old."

**"I'll tell her," I promised.**

**We ran out to the yellow VW convertible parked in the driveway. The sun was going down. I figured we had less than an hour to save Annabeth.**

**"Can't this thing go any faster?" Thalia demanded.**

**Zoe glared at her. "I cannot control traffic."**

"When will their feud end anyways?" Nico asked.

"Soon," replied Thalia.

**"You both sound like my mother," I said. **

"Not smart to say that to one of them, let alone both of them at the same time" Annabeth said.

"They're both old enough to be your mother," Nico said. "Well, almost for Thalia, but definitely for Zoe."

"Shut it death breath," Thalia yelled.

"Never tell or hint that a girl is old Nico," Rachel said.

**"Shut up!" they said in unison.**

**Zoe weaved in and out of traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. **

"You know, Zoe would make a champion F1 racecar driver," Percy said.

**The roads were insanely narrow, winding through forests and up the sides of hills and around the edges of steep ravines. Zoe didn't slow down at all.**

**Ahead of us loomed Mount Tamalpais. **

**I guess, in terms of mountains, it was a small one, but it looked plenty huge as we were driving toward it.**

**"So that's the Mountain of Despair?" I asked. **

**"Yes," Zoe said tightly. **

**"Why do they call it that?"**

"How could you not know that?" Annabeth said. "Chiron must have put that on a test when you were at school."

"Well …" Percy stammered.

**She was silent for almost a mile before answering. "After the war between the Titans and the gods, many of the Titans were punished and imprisoned. Kronos was sliced to pieces and thrown into Tartarus. Kronos's right-hand man, the general of his forces, was imprisoned up there, on the summit, just beyond the Garden of the Hesperides."**

**"The General," I said. **

"The General is Atlas Percy," Thalia said. "In case you forgot."

"I didn't forget Thalia," Percy said.

**Clouds seemed to be swirling around its peak, as though the mountain was drawing them in, spinning them like a top. **

**"What's going on up there? A storm?"**

**Zoe didn't answer. I got the feeing she knew exactly what the clouds meant, and she didn't like it.**

"Of course she did," Thalia said. "I bet you everyone would know, that is except you Percy."

**"We have to concentrate," Thalia said. **

**"The Mist is really strong here."**

**"The magical kind or the natural kind?" I asked. **

**"Both."**

"It's San Francisco Percy," Annabeth said. "Of course both."

**I happened to glance down at the ocean as we passed a scenic curve, and I saw something that made me jump out of my seat.**

**"Look!" But we turned a corner and the ocean disappeared behind the hills. **

**"What?" Thalia asked. **

**"A big white ship," I said. "Docked near the beach. It looked like a cruise ship." **

**Her eyes widened. "Luke's ship?"**

Annabeth sighed at the sound of Luke's name. Percy wrapped his arms around Annabeth, and rubbed his hand up and down her back in an attempt to make her feel better.

**I wanted to say I wasn't sure. It might be a coincidence. But I knew better. The **_**Princess Andromeda**_**, Luke's demon cruise ship, was docked at that beach. That's why he'd sent his ship all the way down to the Panama Canal. **

**It was the only way to sail it from the East Coast to California.**

**"We will have company, then," Zoe said grimly. "Kronos's army."**

"Why do we have such rotten luck?" Percy muttered under his breath.

**I was about to answer, when suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Thalia shouted, "Stop the car. NOW!"**

**Zoe must've sensed something was wrong, because she slammed on the brakes without question. The yellow VW spun twice before coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff.**

**"Out!" Thalia opened the door and pushed me hard. We both rolled onto the pavement. The next second: **_**BOOOM**_**!**

**Lightning flashed, and Dr. Chase's Volkswagen erupted like a canary-yellow grenade. **

"So much for I promise not to destroy your car," Thalia said.

"Well Zoe didn't swear on the River Styx, so I guess she can get away with that," Nico said.

**I probably would've been killed by shrapnel except for Thalia's shield, which appeared over me. I heard a sound like metal ram, and when I opened my eyes, we were surrounded by wreckage. Part of the VW's fender had impaled itself in the street. The smoking hood was spinning in circles. Pieces of yellow metal were strewn across the road.**

**I swallowed the taste of smoke out of my mouth, and looked at Thalia. "You saved my life." **_**Me**_**?"**

"Well I wouldn't just let someone die!" Thalia yelled. "A thank you would be nice you know Percy."

"Thanks Thalia," Percy muttered.

**"**_**One shall perish by a parent's hand," **_**she muttered. "Curse him. He would destroy me?**

Artemis sighed. "Father wouldn't Thalia. Zeus loves you very much, he just can't interfere in any way."

**It took me a second to realize she was talking about her dad. "Oh, hey, that couldn't have been Zeus's lightning bolt. No way."**

"Technically it could have been," Annabeth said. "Thankfully it wasn't."

**"Whose, then?" Thalia demanded. "I don't know. Zoe said Kronos's name. Maybe he—"**

**Thalia shook her head, looking angry and stunned. "No. That wasn't it."**

"What were you thinking at that time anyways?" Percy asked Thalia.

"I'd rather not say," Thalia replied.

**"Wait," I said. "Where's Zoe? Zoe!"**

**We both got up and ran around the blasted VW. Nothing inside. Nothing either direction down the road. I looked down the cliff. No sign of her.**

**"Zoe!" I shouted.**

**Then she was standing right next to me, pulling me by my arm. "Silence, fool! Do you want to wake Ladon?"**

"No I don't," Percy said.

**"You mean we're here?"**

**"Very close," she said. "Follow me."**

**Sheets of fog were drifting right across the road. Zoe stepped into one of them, and when the fog passed, she was no longer there. Thalia and I looked at each other.**

**"Concentrate on Zoe," Thalia advised. "We are following her. Go straight into the fog and keep that in mind."**

"Just like Harry Potter," Rachel said. "Platform nine and three quarters."

**"Wait, Thalia. About what happened back on the pier... I mean, with the manticore and the sacrifice—"**

**"I don't want to talk about it."**

**"You wouldn't actually have... you know?"**

**She hesitated. "I was just shocked. That's all."**

"Liar," Percy said.

**"Zeus didn't send that lighting bolt at the car. It was Kronos. He's trying to manipulate you, make you angry at your dad."**

**She took a deep breath. "Percy, I know you're trying to make me feel better. Thanks. But come on. We need to go."**

"I should have listened to you Percy," Thalia said. "But I was just so angry."

**She stepped into the fog, into the Mist, and I followed.**

**When the fog cleared, I was still on the side of the mountain, but the road was dirt. The grass was thicker. The sunset made a blood red slash across the sea. The summit of the mountain seemed closer now, swirling with storm clouds and raw power. There was only one path to the top, directly in front of us. And it led through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers: the garden of twilight, just like I'd seen in my dream.**

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Artemis said.

**If it hadn't been for the enormous dragon, the garden would've been the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were such brilliant colors they almost glowed in the dark. Stepping stones of polished black marble**

**led around either side of a five-story-tall apple tree, every bough glittering with golden apples, and I don't mean **_**yellow **_**golden apples like in the grocery store. I mean **_**real **_**golden apples. I can't describe why they were so appealing, but as soon as I smelled their fragrance, I knew that one bite would be the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted.**

**"The apples of immortality," Thalia said. "Hera's wedding gift from Zeus."**

**I wanted to step right up and pluck one, except for the dragon coiled around the tree.**

"Percy, that would be a very bad idea," Annabeth said.

**Then the shadows in front of us began to move. There was a beautiful, eerie singing, like voices from the bottom of a well. I reached for Riptide, but Zoe stopped my hand.**

"Very bad experience from the Sea of Monsters," Percy said.

"Bad experience of what?" Nico asked.

"Beautiful singing," Percy answered. "The sirens were very tempting. If you really want to know, you can ask Annabeth."

**Four figures shimmered into existence, four young women who looked very much like Zoe. They all wore white Greek chitons. Their skin was like caramel. Silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders. It was strange, but I'd never realized how beautiful Zoe was until I saw her siblings, the Hesperides. They looked just like Zoe—gorgeous, and probably very dangerous.**

"Percy probably didn't realize how beautiful Zoe was because there was a certain someone in his heart," Grover said.

**"Sisters," Zoe said.**

**"We do not see any sister," one of the girls said coldly. "We see two half-bloods and a Hunter. All of whom shall soon die."**

"All because of Hercules," Artemis said venomously.

**"You've got it wrong." I stepped forward. "Nobody is going to die."**

"Again, hero with a huge ego," Thalia said.

"Thalia!" Percy groaned. "When are you going to leave me alone?"

"Never," Thalia replied, while sticking her tongue out at percy.

**The girls studied me. They had eyes like volcanic rock, glassy and completely black.**

**"Perseus Jackson," one of them said.**

**"Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat."**

**"Who said I was a threat?"**

Annabeth groaned, while shaking her head.

"I'm your seaweed brain remember?" Percy said.

**The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. **

"That was probably Erytheia," Annabeth said.

"I believe so," Artemis said.

**"They fear thee. They are unhappy that **_**this **_**one has not yet killed thee."**

**She pointed at Thalia. "Tempting sometimes," Thalia admitted. "But no, thanks. He's my friend." **

"Thanks a lot Thalia," Percy said sarcastically.

**"There are no friends here, daughter of Zeus," the girl said. "Only enemies. Go back." **

"That's where they're wrong," Thalia said.

**"Not without Annabeth," Thalia said.**

**"And Artemis," Zoe said. "We must approach the mountain."**

"Zoe …" Artemis said, while looking up at the sky.

**"You know he will kill thee," the girl said. "You are no match for him."**

**"Artemis must be freed," Zoe insisted. "Let us pass."**

**The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here anymore. We have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake."**

**"He will not hurt me," Zoe said.**

**"No? And what about thy so-called friends?"**

**Then Zoe did the last thing I expected. She shouted, "Ladon! Wake!"**

"Why?" Thalia said, while trying to hold back her tears.

**The dragon stirred, glittering like a mountain of pennies. The Hesperides yelped and scattered. **

**The lead girl said to Zoe, "Are you mad?"**

**"You never had any courage, sister," Zoe said. "That is thy problem."**

**The dragon Ladon was writhing now, a hundred heads whipping around, tongues flickering and tasting the air. Zoe took a step forward, her arms raised.**

**"Zoe, don't," Thalia said. "You're not a Hesperid anymore. He'll kill you."**

"He didn't, but he almost did" Percy said. "Her father did, in the end."

**"Ladon is trained to protect the tree," Zoe said. "Skirt around the edges of the garden. Go up the mountain. As long as I am a bigger threat, he should ignore thee."**

**"**_**Should**_**," I said. "Not exactly reassuring."**

"Seaweed brain!" Annabeth said.

**"It is the only way," she said. "Even the three of us together cannot fight him."**

**I wanted to draw my sword. But then I remembered my dream of Zoe and Hercules, and how Hercules had failed in a head-on assault. I decided to trust Zoe's judgment.**

"Thank the gods," Annabeth said. "He actually used his brain for once."

**Thalia went left. I went right. Zoe walked straight toward the monster.**

**"It's me, my little dragon," Zoe said. "Zoe has come back."**

"Little?" Percy questioned.

**Ladon shifted forward, then back. Some of the mouths closed. Some kept hissing. Dragon confusion. Meanwhile, the Hesperides shimmered and turned into shadows. **

**The voice of the eldest whispered, "Fool."**

"Cowards," Thalia hissed.

**"I used to feed thee by hand," Zoe continued, speaking in a soothing voice as she stepped toward the golden tree. "Do you still like lamb's meat?"**

**The dragon's eyes glinted.**

**Thalia and I were about halfway around the garden. Ahead, I could see a single rocky trail leading up to the black peak of the mountain. The storm swirled above it, spinning on the summit like it was the axis for the whole world.**

"It kind of is Percy," Thalia said.

**We'd almost made it out of the meadow when something went wrong. I felt the dragon's mood shift. Maybe Zoe got too close. Maybe the dragon realized he was hungry. Whatever the reason, he lunged at Zoe.**

**Two thousand years of training kept her alive. She dodged one set of slashing fangs and tumbled under another, weaving through the dragon's heads as she ran in our direction, gagging from the monster's horrible breath.**

"We should get them breath mints," Nico said.

"I don't think it would help very much Nico," Annabeth said.

**I drew Riptide to help.**

**"No!" Zoe panted. "Run!"**

**The dragon snapped at her side, and Zoe cried out. Thalia uncovered Aegis, and the dragon hissed. In his moment of indecision, Zoe sprinted past us up the mountain, and we followed.**

**The dragon didn't try to pursue. He hissed and stomped the ground, but I guess he was well trained to guard that tree. He wasn't going to be lured off even by the tasty prospect of eating some heroes.**

"Thankfully," Thalia said. "Or we would have been dead."

**We ran up the mountain as the Hesperides resumed their song in the shadows behind us. The music didn't sound so beautiful to me now—more like the sound track for a funeral.**

"Way to think positively," Rachel said.

"Well it's true," Percy said.

**At the top of mountain were ruins, blocks of black granite and marble as big as houses. Broken columns. Statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted.**

**"The ruins of Mount Othrys," Thalia whispered in awe.**

**"Yes," Zoe said. "It was not here before. This is bad."**

**"What's Mount Othrys?" I asked, feeling like a fool as usual.**

"Feeling like a fool?" Thalia asked with her eyebrows raised. "I think you mean like the fool I was."

**"The mountain fortress of the Titans," Zoe said. "In the first war, Olympus and Othrys were the two rival capitals of the world. Othrys was—" She winced and held her side.**

**"You're hurt," I said. "Let me see." **

**"No! It is nothing. I was saying... in the first war, Othrys was blasted to pieces."**

Percy sighed. "I should have known better than to listen to her."

"It's not your fault seaweed brain," Annabeth said reassuringly, or at least she tried to be.

**"But... how is it here?"**

**Thalia looked around cautiously as we picked our way through the rubble, past blocks of marble and broken archways. "It moves in the same way that Olympus moves. It always exists on the edges of civilization. But the fact that it is here, on **_**this **_**mountain, is not good."**

**"Why?"**

"Really Percy? Even I know that!" Rachel said.

"Well you're the oracle!" Percy retorted. "You're supposed to know everything."

"Fine," Rachel grumbled.

**"This is Atlas's mountain," Zoe said. "Where he holds—" She froze. Her voice was ragged with despair. "Where he used to hold up the sky."**

**We had reached the summit. A few yards ahead of us, gray clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains. This is what I had seen in my dream. It hadn't been a cavern roof that Artemis was forced to hold. It was the roof of the world.**

**"My lady!" Zoe rushed forward, but Artemis said, "Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now."**

"I hoped she would listen," Artemis said.

"But you knew she wouldn't anyway," Thalia finished for the goddess.

**Her voice was strained. She was drenched in sweat. I had never seen a goddess in pain before, but the weight of the sky was clearly too much for Artemis.**

"If it was too much for Atlas, it would obviously be too much for me," Artemis said.

**Zoe was crying. She ran forward despite Artemis's protests, and tugged at the chains.**

**A booming voice spoke behind us: "Ah, how touching."**

"Atlas," Artemis growled.

**We turned. The General was standing there in his brown silk suit. At his side were Luke and half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. Annabeth stood at Luke's side. She had her hands cuffed behind her back, a gag in her mouth, and Luke was holding the point of his sword to her throat.**

**I met her eyes, trying to ask her a thousand questions. There was just one message she was sending me, though: **_**RUN**_**.**

"Good," Annabeth said. "At least you understood what I was trying to say."

**"Luke," Thalia snarled. "Let her go."**

**Luke's smile was weak and pale. He looked even worse than he had three days ago in D.C. "That is the General's decision, Thalia. But it's good to see you again."**

**Thalia spat at him.**

**The General chuckled. "So much for old friends. And you, Zoe. It's been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing you."**

"I don't even understand why he'll enjoy killing his own daughter!" Percy yelled.

"Atlas is just like Kronos," Annabeth said. "He doesn't care about anyone but himself."

**"Wait a second," I said. "You're Atlas?"**

"Gods, yes he is," Annabeth said.

**The General glanced at me. "So, even the stupidest of heroes can finally figure something out. Yes, I am Atlas, the general of the Titans and terror of the gods. Congratulations. I will kill you presently, as soon as I deal with this wretched girl."**

**"You're not going to hurt Zoe," I said. "I won't let you."**

"See Percy?" Thalia said. "You just keep giving me more evidence to prove that you have such a big ego."

**The General sneered. "You have no right to interfere, little hero. This is a family matter." I frowned. "A family matter?"**

**"Yes," Zoe said bleakly. "Atlas is my father."**

"That's the end of the chapter," Annabeth said. "Who wants to read?"

"I'll read," Rachel said.

"This is getting intense!" Nico said.

"That's not something to be happy about," Thalia said. "It's all real Nico."

"Right," Nico said. "Forgot about that."

* * *

**Well, that's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed :) I actually fulfilled my deadline, so you all should be happy about that. Well that's the good news for you all, but I also have some bad news. I don't know when the next update will be because of school, and exams. Hopefully I'll be forgiven. I promise I'll try to update asap. I have to say thank you to all my reviewers and readers for your patience. Ciao!**

**~the ghost king or Leon or Zach, whatever you know me as.**


	18. I Put On A Few Million Extra Pounds

**I Put On A Few Million Extra Pounds**

"What a great title for the chapter," Thalia said sarcastically.

Percy just rolled his eyes, and gestured for Rachel to read. Rachel cleared her throat, and complied.

**The horrible thing was: I could see the family resemblance. **

"How horrible can it be?" Nico said. "You look a lot like Poseidon, I don't see the problem there."

"You'll see," Percy said.

**Atlas had the same regal expression as Zoe, the same cold proud look in his eyes that Zoe sometimes got when she was mad, though on him it looked a thousand times more evil. He was all the things I'd originally disliked about Zoe, with none of the good I'd come to appreciate.**

"Oh," was all Nico could comment about the description of Atlas.

**"Let Artemis go," Zoe demanded.**

**Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest."**

**Zoe opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoe! I forbid you."**

"Wow," Nico said. "Each one of the hunter's dedication is … "

"Unbelievable?" Artemis suggested.

"Yes," Nico replied. "They would actually hold up the sky if it meant saving you, Lady Artemis."

"When did Nico get … so deep?" Percy said.

"Shut up!" Nico yelled.

**Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers.**

"Percy," Annabeth said. "Atlas is a Titan, meaning that he's immortal. You know well that if his finger were to come off, it would just grow back in time."

"Well, you know that I'm no child of Athena, and it's not like your mother is going to bless me soon." Percy replied, his arms folded across his chest.

**"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility."**

"You don't deserve to call Zoe your daughter!" Artemis hissed.

**I looked at Annabeth. She was desperately trying to tell me something. She motioned her head toward Luke. But all I could do was stare at her. I hadn't noticed before, but something about her had changed. Her blond hair was now streaked with gray.**

**"From holding the sky," Thalia muttered, as if she'd read my mind. "The weight should've killed her."**

"You know, it kind of gets creepy after a couple of times." Percy said to Thalia.

Thalia shrugged. "Just get used to it, kelp head."

**"I don't understand," I said. "Why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?"**

Annabeth shook her head at her boyfriend.

"Zero brain capacity." Thalia said with a smirk.

**Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you."**

"Well that saved me an explanation to seaweed brain over here," Annabeth said.

**He approached us, studying Thalia and me. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."**

"That basta- … I mean fool," Thalia said, cut off by the look Artemis gave her.

**"Fight us," I said. "And let's see."**

"I swear Percy, some day your boldness will get you killed," Rachel said.

**"Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead."**

**"So you're another coward," I said.**

"See what I mean?" Rachel said.

**Atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia. "As for you, daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you."**

**"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as if it were painful. **

**If I didn't hate his guts so much, I almost would've felt sorry for him. **

"Percy …" Annabeth said.

**"Thalia, you still can join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!"**

**He waved his hand, and next to us a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus. I could imagine Bessie in that pool. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I was sure I could hear Bessie mooing.**

"You make him sound like a magician," Nico said.

"Ugh! Nico! This is not something to joke about!" Percy said.

"What? But it's true, you do describe him like a magician, I mean, who else waves their hand to make something appear?" Nico retorted.

"I give up," Percy said. "You win, Nico."

_**Don't think about him**_**! Suddenly Grover's voice was inside my mind—the empathy link. I could feel his emotions. He was on the verge of panic. **_**I'm losing Bessie. Block the thoughts**_**!**

"For Zeus's sake, would you two just call the Ophiotaurus by its name?" Annabeth said, clearly irritated.

"Exactly," Rachel said. "How would you like it Percy, if I call you something like Daisy?"

Everyone except Percy laughed.

"Aw! What's the matter Daisy? Are you sad?" Nico said, practically rolling on the floor from all the laughing.

**I tried to make my mind go blank. I tried to think about basketball players, skateboards, the different kinds of candy in my mom's shop. Anything but Bessie.**

**"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods."**

**"Luke..." Her voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?"**

"They've been feeding him so many lies," Annabeth said, with her head hanging down.

**"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"**

**Thalia shook her head. "Free Annabeth. Let her go."**

**"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree ..."**

"A better world," Percy scoffed.

**His voice faltered. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please."**

**I didn't know what he meant, but the fear in his voice sounded real enough. I believed that Luke was in danger.**

"He was in danger," Artemis said.

**His life depended on Thalia's joining his cause. And I was afraid Thalia might believe it too.**

**"Do not, Thalia," Zoe warned. "We must fight them."**

**Luke waved his hand again, and a fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at camp. A sacrificial flame.**

"This doesn't sound very good," Nico said.

"You think?" Percy yelled.

"Woah there!" Nico said. "Chill out."

Steam was practically coming out of Percy's ears, but there was nothing he could say, so he just sat down, his face red from anger.

**"Thalia," I said. "No."**

**Behind Luke, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, I saw images in the mist all around us: black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising around us, made of fear and shadow.**

"You know, that kind of sounds like dad's palace," Nico said.

Thalia face palmed. "Then I'm glad that I've never been there."

**"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke promised, in a voice so strained it was hardly his. "Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak."**

"Well duh," Percy huffed.

**He pointed toward the ocean, and my heart fell. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where the **_**Princess Andromeda **_**was docked, was a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hell hounds, harpies, and other things I couldn't even name. The whole ship must've been emptied, because there were hundreds, many more than I'd seen on board last summer. And they were marching toward us. In a few minutes, they would be here.**

"Aren't you glad that Lady Hestia's hearth was still blazing at that time," Annabeth said. "If it wasn't, you would have lost all hope at that time."

Percy nodded.

**"This is only a taste of what is to come," Luke said. "Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help."**

**For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain, as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she leveled her spear. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."**

"No," Thalia said softly. "The only thing I wanted was for Luke to be his normal self."

There was a moment of silence for Luke before Rachel started reading again.

"**Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. "Please. Don't make me … don't make **_**him **_**destroy you."**

**There was no time. If that army got to the top of the hill, we would be overwhelmed. I met Annabeth's eyes again. She nodded.**

"Soul mates?" Rachel said. "I think yes!"

Everyone laughed, while Percy and Annabeth blushed.

**I looked at Thalia and Zoe, and I decided it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to die fighting with friends like this.**

"I'm honored," Thalia said.

"**Now," I said.**

**Together, we charged.**

"Why does this sound so … comical?" Nico said.

"I have no idea," Percy said.

"What do you mean you have no idea?" Thalia said. "These are your thoughts!"

"Um … no comment," Percy said.

**Thalia went straight for Luke. The power of her shield was so great that his dragon- women bodyguards fled in a panic, dropping the golden coffin and leaving him alone. **

"Don't we all want our own Aegis?" Percy said.

"Sorry," Thalia said. "Limited edition. There are only 3 and they're all … taken."

**But despite his sickly appearance, Luke was still quick with his sword. He snarled like a wild animal and counterattacked. When his sword, Backbiter, met Thalia's shield, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power.**

**As for me, I did the stupidest thing in my life, which is saying a lot. I attacked the Titan Lord Atlas.**

"I'm glad that you finally admitted that you've done quite a lot of stupid things in your life, Percy," Thalia said.

**He laughed as I approached. A huge javelin appeared in his hands. His silk suit melted into full Greek battle armor. "Go on, then!" **

**"Percy!" Zoe said. "Beware!"**

"I should definitely get a 'I'm with stupid shirt' and stand next to Percy when I'm wearing it," Nico said.

Thalia snickered. "You do that, Nico."

**I knew what she was warning me about. Chiron had told me long ago: **_**Immortals are constrained by ancient rules. But a hero can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as he has the nerve**_**. Once I attacked, however, Atlas was free to attack back directly, with all his might.**

"You just had to challenge him didn't you?" Annabeth said, while shaking her head.

**I swung my sword, and Atlas knocked me aside with the shaft of his javelin. I flew through the air and slammed into a black wall. It wasn't Mist anymore. The palace was rising, brick by brick. It was becoming real.**

**"Fool!" Atlas screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoe's arrows. "Did you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to **_**me**_**?"**

"Ares was complaining about that for days!" Artemis said. "Sometimes I don't even know why he's the war god. He always loses the battles he fights."

**The mention of Ares sent a jolt through me. I shook off my daze and charged again. If I could get to that pool of water, I could double my strength.**

"Wow," Annabeth said. "Percy actually has an idea for once."

**The javelins point slashed toward me like a scythe. I raised Riptide, planning to cut off his weapon at the shaft, but my arm felt like lead. My sword suddenly weighed a ton.**

**And I remembered Ares's warning, spoken on the beach in Los Angeles so long ago: **_**When you need it most, your sword will fail you**_**.**

"I told you it was not a good idea to be enemies with a god," Thalia said.

"I know, I know," Percy said. "Can't change that now can I?"

_**Not now**_**! I pleaded. But it was no good. I tried to dodge, but the javelin caught me in the chest and sent me flying like a rag doll. I slammed into the ground, my head spinning. I looked up and found I was at the feet of Artemis, still straining under the weight of the sky.**

**"Run, boy," she told me. "You must run!"**

"Usually if a boy came close to Lady Artemis, they would be turned into a jackalope," Thalia said.

"Well, I guess I got lucky," Percy said.

**Atlas was taking his time coming toward me. My sword was gone. It had skittered away over the edge of the cliff. It might reappear in my pocket—maybe in a few seconds—but it didn't matter. I'd be dead by then. **

**"Die, little hero," Atlas said.**

**He raised his javelin to impale me.**

"That doesn't sound too good," Nico said.

Percy glared at Nico, but decided to ignore his comment.

**"No!" Zoe yelled, and a volley of silver arrows sprouted from the armpit chink in Atlas's armor.**

"Thank you, Zoe, for saving my life," Percy said.

**"ARGH!" He bellowed and turned toward his daughter.**

**I reached down and felt Riptide back in my pocket. I couldn't fight Atlas, even with a sword. And then a chill went down my back. I remembered the words of the prophecy: **_**The Titan's curse must one withstand**_**. I couldn't hope to beat Atlas. But there was someone else who might stand a chance.**

**"The sky," I told the goddess. "Give it to me."**

"Brave, bold, and loyal," Artemis said. "There was only one man that showed those traits. It's been a while now. He was a son of Poseidon as well."

"My lady …" Thalia said.

"I'm fine, Thalia. Thank you for your concern though," Artemis said, while she looked up at the constellation of Orion. "You may continue, Rachel."

**"No, boy," Artemis said. Her forehead was beaded with metallic sweat, like quicksilver. "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!"**

**"Annabeth took it!"**

**"She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long." **

"Thank you, Lady Artemis," Annabeth said to the goddess.

Artemis nodded.

"Too bad she's taken by a certain someone," Rachel said. "Otherwise she would have joined the hunt."

**"I'll die anyway," I said. "Give me the weight of the sky!"**

**I didn't wait for her answer. I took out Riptide and slashed through her chains. Then I stepped next to her and braced myself on one knee—holding up my hands—and touched the cold, heavy clouds. For a moment, Artemis and I bore the weight together. It was the heaviest thing I'd ever felt, as if I were being crushed under a thousand trucks. I wanted to black out from the pain, but I breathed deeply. **_**I can do this**_**.**

**Then Artemis slipped out from under the burden, and I held it alone.**

**Afterward, I tried many times to explain what it felt like. I couldn't.**

Annabeth nodded in agreement.

**Atlas advanced, pressing Artemis. She was fast, but his strength was unstoppable. His javelin slammed into the earth where Artemis had been a split second before, and a fissure opened in the rocks. He leaped over it and kept pursuing her. She was leading him back toward me.**

_**Get ready**_**, she spoke in my mind. I was losing the ability to think through the pain. My response was something like **_**Agggghh-owwwwwwww**_**.**

"Yes," Artemis said. "Something along the lines of that."

**"You fight well for a girl." Atlas laughed. "But you are no match for me."**

"I may not be a match for you but you still lost in the end," Artemis said.

**He feinted with the tip of his javelin and Artemis dodged. I saw the trick coming. **

"I'm glad your brain could comprehend the trick," Artemis said. "Otherwise, Atlas will still be on the loose, and Olympus would have fell.

**Atlas's javelin swept around and knocked Artemis's legs off the ground. She fell, and Atlas brought up his javelin tip for the kill.**

**"No!" Zoe screamed. She leaped between her father and Artemis and shot an arrow straight into the Titan's forehead, where it lodged like a unicorn's horn. **

"Nice description, Percy," Nico said as he gave him a thumbs up.

"Shut up!" Percy said.

**Atlas bellowed in rage. He swept aside his daughter with the back of his hand, sending her flying into the black rocks.**

**I wanted to shout her name, run to her aid, but I couldn't speak or move. I couldn't even see where Zoe had landed. Then Atlas turned on Artemis with a look of triumph in his face. Artemis seemed to be wounded. She didn't get up.**

"Zoe …" Artemis said.

**"The first blood in a new war," Atlas gloated. And he stabbed downward.**

"Not the first," Annabeth said. "He already killed a bunch of his human workers before this fight."

**As fast as thought, Artemis grabbed his javelin shaft. It hit the earth right next to her and she pulled backward, using the javelin like a lever, kicking the Titan Lord and sending him flying over her, I saw him coming down on top of me and I realized what would happen. I loosened my grip on the sky, and as Atlas slammed into me I didn't try to hold on. I let myself be pushed out of the way and rolled for all I was worth.**

**The weight of the sky dropped onto Atlas's back, almost smashing him flat until he managed to get to his knees, struggling to get out from under the crushing weight of the sky. But it was too late.**

**"**_**Noooooo**_**!" He bellowed so hard it shook the mountain. "**_**Not again**_**!" **

"His voice can rival Ares's screaming," Artemis said.

**Atlas was trapped under his old burden. **

"Good for him," Nico said. "He deserves it."

**Thalia backed Luke to the edge of a cliff, but still they fought on, next to the golden coffin. Thalia had tears in her eyes. Luke had a bloody slash across his chest and his pale face glistened with sweat.**

"If Thalia was the better fighter then why is Luke always said to be the best swordsman at Camp Half Blood?" Nico asked.

"That's because Thalia uses a spear," Annabeth said. "And the best swordsman is now Percy since he beat Luke during his first year here at Camp."

"Oh you're so on!" Nico said with a smirk.

"Get ready to lose then, Nico," Percy said.

"Can we get back to the book?" Thalia asked.

Rachel cleared her throat and began to read again.

**He lunged at Thalia and she slammed him with her shield. Luke's sword spun out of his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point to his throat. For a moment, there was silence.**

**"Well?" Luke asked. He tried to hide it, but I could hear fear in his voice.**

**Thalia trembled with fury.**

**Behind her, Annabeth came scrambling, finally free from her bonds. Her face was bruised and streaked with dirt. "Don't kill him!"**

"Why not?" Nico asked.

"I believed that I could fix everything. Make Luke good again. It's my fatal flaw, pride." Annabeth replied.

**"He's a traitor," Thalia said. "A traitor!"**

**In my daze, I realized that Artemis was no longer with me. She had run off toward the black rocks where Zoe had fallen.**

**"We'll bring Luke back," Annabeth pleaded. "To Olympus. He... he'll be useful."**

"I was so … foolish," Annabeth said.

Thalia gave Annabeth a sad smile. "At least he was a hero in the end."

**"Is that what you want, Thalia?" Luke sneered. "To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?"**

"Did you?" Percy asked.

"Yes," Thalia replied slowly. "I thought that he never cared. Well, that's what I thought before, so it was the only thing that I could do to you know … please him. I guess I was wrong, because he actually cared."

**Thalia hesitated, and Luke made a desperate grab for her spear.**

**"No!" Annabeth shouted. But it was too late. Without thinking, Thalia kicked Luke away. He lost his balance, terror on his face, and then he fell.**

**"Luke!" Annabeth screamed.**

**We rushed to the cliff's edge. Below us, the army from the **_**Princess Andromeda **_**had stopped in amazement. They were staring at Luke's broken form on the rocks. Despite how much I hated him, I couldn't stand to see it. I wanted to believe he was still alive, but that was impossible. The fall was fifty feet at least, and he wasn't moving.**

"Not impossible," Annabeth said. "He did survive."

**One of the giants looked up and growled, "Kill them!"**

**Thalia was stiff with grief, tears streaming down her cheeks. I pulled her back as a wave of javelins sailed over our heads. We ran for the rocks, ignoring the curses and threats of Atlas as we passed.**

**"Artemis!" I yelled.**

"I'm still amazed about the fact that Lady Artemis didn't jackalope you right there," Thalia said.

**The goddess looked up, her face almost as grief-stricken as Thalia's. Zoe lay in the goddess's arms. She was breathing. Her eyes were open. But still...**

**"The wound is poisoned," Artemis said. **

**"Atlas poisoned her?" I asked. **

Annabeth face palmed. "Seaweed brain …"

**"No," the goddess said. "Not Atlas."**

**She showed us the wound in Zoe's side. I'd almost forgotten her scrape with Ladon the dragon. The bite was much worse than Zoe had let on. I could barely look at the wound. She had charged into battle against her father with a horrible cut already sapping her strength.**

**"The stars," Zoe murmured. "I cannot see them."**

"She always loved the stars," Artemis said.

Thalia nodded.

**"Nectar and ambrosia," I said. "Come on! We have to get her some."**

**No one moved. Grief hung in air. The army of Kronos was just below the rise. Even Artemis was too shocked to stir. We might've met our doom right there, but then I heard a strange buzzing noise.**

"Not really," Artemis said. "Goddess of the hunt, remember?"

**Just as the army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped down out of the sky.**

**"Get away from my daughter!" Dr. Chase called down, and his machine guns burst to life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the whole group of monsters into scattering.**

**"Dad?" yelled Annabeth in disbelief.**

"Her face was priceless," Percy said.

**"Run!" he called back, his voice growing fainter as the biplane swooped by.**

**This shook Artemis out of her grief. She stared up at the antique plane, which was now banking around for another strafe.**

**"A brave man," Artemis said with grudging approval. "Come, We must get Zoe away from here."**

"News flash! Lady Artemis complimented a male!" Nico yelled.

Artemis raised her eyebrow slightly, then laughed with amusement along with the others.

**She raised her hunting horn to her lips, and its clear sound echoed down the valleys of Marin. Zoe's eyes were fluttering.**

**The Sopwith Camel swooped down again. A few giants threw javelins, and one flew straight between the wings of the plane, but the machine guns blazed. I realized with amazement that somehow Dr. Chase must've gotten hold of celestial bronze to fashion his bullets. The first row of snake women wailed as the machine gun's volley blew them into sulfurous yellow powder.**

**"That's... my dad!" Annabeth said in amazement.**

"Yes he is," Nico said.

**We didn't have time to admire his flying. The giants and snake women were already recovering from their surprise. Dr. Chase would be in trouble soon.**

**Just then, the moonlight brightened, and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by the most beautiful deer I had ever seen. It landed right next to us.**

"They are," Thalia said as she nodded in agreement.

**"Get in," Artemis said.**

**Annabeth helped me get Thalia on board. Then I helped Artemis with Zoe. We wrapped Zoe in a blanket as Artemis pulled the reins and the chariot sped away from the mountain, straight into the air.**

**"Like Santa Claus's sleigh," I murmured, still dazed with pain.**

**Artemis took time to look back at me. "Indeed, young half-blood. And where do you think that legend came from?"**

"Then why is Santa a jolly fat man clothed completely in red?" Nico asked.

Artemis laughed. "You'll have to ask Hermes. He made that up."

**Seeing us safely away, Dr. Chase turned his biplane and followed us like an honor guard. It must have been one of the strangest sights ever, even for the Bay Area: a silver flying chariot pulled by deer, escorted by a Sopwith Camel.**

"The mist would have covered that," Thalia said.

**Behind us, the army of Kronos roared in anger as they gathered on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, but the loudest sound was the voice of Atlas, bellowing curses against the gods as**** he struggled under the weight of the sky.**

"That's the end of the chapter," Rachel said. "Who wants to read next?"

"I'll read," Grover said.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait. (Please don't kill me) Exams are coming up so I've been studying lately. Christmas parties were taking up my schedule as well. Well consider this my gift for the new year of 2011 coming up. -sighs- The story is almost coming to an end. I'm still deciding whether or not to continue with The Battle of the Labrynith and The Last Olympian. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Farewell, for now ...**

**~the ghost king**


	19. A Friend Says Goodbye

**A Friend Says Goodbye**

Grover cleared his throat. "Can I please have a tin can before we continue?"

Everyone laughed, while Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Grover, if you don't start reading, I'm going to turn you into a tin can," Artemis said.

Grover gulped. "I'll start now, my lady."

**We landed at Crissy Field after nightfall.**

****

As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and gave him a huge hug. "Dad! You flew… you shot… oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

Her father blushed. "Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose."

**"But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you get those?"**

Nico coughed. "News flash! A child of Athena doesn't know something!"

Annabeth glared at Nico.

"Anyways, let's continue before we have to deal with something far worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined," Thalia said.

"Good idea!" Grover said, clearly still afraid that he'll be turned into a tin can if he stopped reading. 

****

"Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you… left."

**Annabeth looked down, embarrassed. I noticed Dr. Chase was very careful not to say ran away.**

**"I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings," he continued. "Just a little experiment."**

**He said it like it was no big deal, but he had a gleam in his eye. I could understand all of a sudden why Athena, Goddess of Crafts and Wisdom, had taken a liking to him. He was an excellent mad scientist at heart.  
**

"Percy, you better hope that Athena will never read this," Nico said.

"She's probably read every single book that exists!" Percy said, his face turning paler by the minute.

"Correction," Annabeth said. "She has read every book that exists."

"Well that just makes me feel better," Percy said glumly.

**"Dad…" Annabeth faltered.**

****

"Annabeth, Percy," Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She and Artemis were kneeling at Zoe's side, binding the huntress's wounds.

**Annabeth and I ran over to help, but there wasn't much we could do. We had no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help. It was dark, but I could see that Zoe didn't look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.**

Everyone looked over at Artemis, who was looking at the constellation of Zoe Nightshade.

"My lady," Thalia said. "We can leave if you wish."

"No," Artemis said. "Please … continue."

**"Can't you heal her with magic?" I asked Artemis. "I mean… you're a goddess."**

****

Artemis looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try."

**She tried to set her hand on Zoe's side, but Zoe gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.**

"There's an empathy link between my lady and each one of her hunters," Thalia said quietly.

**"Have I… served thee well?" Zoe whispered. "With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."**

Thalia's face was pained, knowing she could never be the same as Zoe had for Artemis.

****

Zoe's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."

"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."

**But in that moment, I knew it wasn't just the poison that was killing her. It was her father's final blow. Zoe had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would die by a parent's hand. And yet she'd taken the quest anyway. She had chosen to save me, and Atlas's fury had broken her inside.**

"Percy," Annabeth said. "It's not your fault."

**She saw Thalia, and took her hand.**

****

"I am sorry we argued," Zoe said. "We could have been sisters."

**"It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men—everything."**

Thalia's face was smudged with black liner, as the salty tears continued to flow down her face.

**"Perhaps not all men," Zoe murmured. She smiled weakly at me. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?"**

**I couldn't speak, but I brought out Riptide and put the pen in her hand. She grasped it contentedly. "You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like… like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword."**

"Zoe …" Percy said softly.

**A shudder ran through her body.**

****

"Stars," she whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady."

**A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight."**

**"Stars," Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again.**

Artemis sighed. "She always loved the stars. She used to stay out all night just watching them."

**Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders. I watched as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoe's body shimmered and disappeared.**

****

Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished.

For a moment I didn't see anything different. Then Annabeth gasped. Looking up in the sky, I saw that the stars were brighter now. They made a pattern I had never noticed before—a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl's figure—a girl with a bow, running across the sky.

**"Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars." It wasn't easy saying our good-byes. The thunder and lightning were still boiling over Mount Tamalpais in the north. Artemis was so upset she flickered with silver light. This made me nervous, because if she suddenly lost control and appeared in her fully divine form, we would disintegrate by looking at her.**

"Luckily I didn't lose control," Artemis said softly. 

****

"I must go to Olympus immediately," Artemis said. "I will not be able to take you, but I will send help."

The goddess set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right."

**Then she looked quizzically at Thalia, as if she weren't sure what to make of this younger daughter of Zeus. Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but something made her, and she held the goddess's eyes. I wasn't sure what passed between them, but Artemis's gaze softened with sympathy. Then she turned to me.**

"That's when she gave me the choice to join the hunt," Thalia said.

**"You did well," she said. "For a man."**

**I wanted to protest. But then I realized it was the first time she hadn't called me a boy.**

Percy looked over at Artemis, who just nodded back at him.

****

She mounted her chariot, which began to glow. We averted our eyes. There was a flash of silver, and the goddess was gone.

**"Well," Dr. Chase sighed. "She was impressive; though I must say I still prefer Athena."**

"I'm glad." Artemis said. "Otherwise, there'll be another jackalope added to the population."

****

Annabeth turned toward him. "Dad, I… I'm sorry that—"

"Shh." He hugged her. "Do what you must, my dear. I know this isn't easy for you."

**His voice was a little shaky, but he gave Annabeth a brave smile.**

"I just can't believe I made him deal with all that," Annabeth said.

"But he respected your choice," Percy said as he hugged her. "That's all that matters."

****

Then I heard the whoosh of large wings. Three pegasi descended through the fog: two white winged horses and one pure black one.

"Blackjack!" I called.

Yo, boss! he called. You manage to stay alive okay without me? "It was rough," I admitted.

**I brought Guido and Porkpie with me.**

"Dad would never approve of these names," Nico said.

"Well duh!" Thalia said. "He'd probably name one Grim, and the other Reaper."

****

How ya doin? The other two pegasi spoke in my mind.

**Blackjack looked me over with concern, then checked out Dr. Chase, Thalia, and Annabeth. Any of these goons you want us to stampede? **

"He actually said that!" Annabeth said. "No more doughnuts for him!"

**"Nah," I said aloud. "These are my friends. We need to get to Olympus pretty fast."**

****

No problem, Blackjack said. Except for the mortal over there. Hope he's not going. I assured him Dr. Chase was not. The professor was staring openmouthed at the pegasi.

**"Fascinating," he said. "Such maneuverability! How does the wingspan compensate for the weight of the horse's body, I wonder?"**

"You know, I have no idea what he's talking about!" Percy said.

**"Why, if the British had had these pegasi in the cavalry charges on the Crimea," Dr. Chase said, "the charge of the light brigade—"**

****

"Dad!" Annabeth interrupted.

Dr. Chase blinked. He looked at his daughter and managed a smile. "I'm sorry, my dear, I know you must go."

**He gave her one last awkward, well-meaning hug. **

"It was pretty awkward," Annabeth said, while nodding her head.

**As she turned to climb aboard the pegasus Guido, Dr. Chase called, "Annabeth. I know… I know San Francisco is a dangerous place for you. But please remember, you always have a home with us. We will keep you safe."**

"They've been doing a good job too," Annabeth said as she smiled.

**Annabeth didn't answer, but her eyes were red as she turned away. Dr. Chase started to say more, then apparently thought better of it. He raised his hand in a sad farewell and trudged away across the dark field.**

****

Thalia and Annabeth and I mounted our pegasi. Together we soared over the bay and flew toward the eastern hills. Soon San Francisco was only a glittering crescent behind us, with an occasional flicker of lightning in the north.

**Thalia was so exhausted she fell asleep on Porkpie's back. I knew she had to be really tired to sleep in the air, despite her fear of heights, but she didn't have much to worry about.**

"I'm not scared anymore," Thalia said. "Thanks to the intensive training from Lady Artemis."

**Her pegasus flew with ease, adjusting himself every once in a while so Thalia stayed safely on his back.**

****

Annabeth and I flew along side by side.

**"Your dad seems cool," I told her.**

"He is now," Annabeth said. "Not before though."

**It was too dark to see her expression. She looked back, even though California was far behind us now.**

****

"I guess so," she said. "We've been arguing for so many years."

"Yeah, you said."

**"You think I was lying about that?" It sounded like a challenge, but a pretty halfhearted one, like she was asking it of herself. **

Thalia laughed. "If she was actually challenging you, you would definitely lose. Nobody can beat a child of Athena when it comes to debates or arguments."

**"I didn't say you were lying. It's just… he seems okay. Your stepmom, too. Maybe they've, uh, gotten cooler since you saw them last."**

**She hesitated. "They're still in San Francisco, Percy. I can't live so far from camp."**

"So much for 'I can't lie so far from camp'," Percy said, earning a slap on the arm from Annabeth.

**I didn't want to ask my next question. I was scared to know the answer. But I asked it anyway. "So what are you going to do now?"**

****

We flew over a town, an island of lights in the middle of the dark. It whisked by so fast we might've been in an airplane.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But thank you for rescuing me."

**"Hey, no big deal. We're friends."**

"Friends?" Nico said. "I think he left out the boy and girl from friend."

Everyone snickered, as Annabeth and Percy glared at Nico.

**"You didn't believe I was dead?"**

****

"Never."

She hesitated. "Neither is Luke, you know. I mean… he isn't dead."

I stared at her. I didn't know if she was cracking under the stress or what. "Annabeth, that fall was pretty bad. There's no way—"

**"He isn't dead," she insisted. "I know it. The same way you knew about me."**

"I should have believed her," Percy said.

"Always trust a child of Athena," Thalia said matter of factly.

****

That comparison didn't make me too happy.

The towns were zipping by faster now, islands of light thicker together, until the whole landscape below was a glittering carpet. Dawn was close. The eastern sky was turning gray.

And up ahead, a huge white-and-yellow glow spread out before us—the lights of New York.

How's that for speedy, loss? Blackjack bragged. We get extra hay for breakfast or what? "You're the man, Blackjack," I told him. "Er, the horse, I mean."

"You don't believe me about Luke," Annabeth said, "but we'll see him again. He's in trouble, Percy. He's under Kronos's spell."

**I didn't feel like arguing, though it made me mad. How could she still have any feelings for that creep? How could she possibly make excuses for him? He deserved that fall. He deserved… okay, I'll say it. He deserved to die. Unlike Bianca. Unlike Zoe. Luke couldn't be alive. It wouldn't be fair.**

"Wow Percy," Nico said. "Somebody's jealous!"

"I take that completely back now." Percy said. "Luke died a hero."

**"There it is." Thalia's voice; she'd woken up. She was pointing toward Manhattan, which was quickly zooming into view. "It's started."**

****

"What's started?" I asked. Then I looked where she was pointing. High above the Empire State Building, Olympus was its own island of light, a floating mountain ablaze with torches and braziers, white marble palaces gleaming in the early morning air.

**"The winter solstice," Thalia said. "The Council of the Gods."**

**

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**I'm truly sorry for the extremely long wait. If only there was a no test, exam, or homework rule enforced. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for all the support and the reviews. **

**~the ghost king**


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